Sontails: War of Faith
by twotailedfox
Summary: SEQUEL! 3 months later, Sonic, Tails, Blaze and Knuckles have made a life for themselves on a tropical paradise. However, after a storm decimates thier happiness and an old face washes up on shore, they must travel back to Mobius to restore peace between the five communities that have been fighting a war that they started. Can they achieve peace and stop Vector or die trying?
1. Chapter 1: Tropical Paradise

_A/N: Hey everybody, welcome to Sontails: War of Faith, the sequel to Sontails: Dreams Come True. This story takes place three months after the previous one ended, with Sonic, Tails, Blaze and Knuckles all alone on the tropical island that they got washed ashore onto whilst leaving the others back on Mobius in the war torn land. I really hope you all enjoy this chapter, and story and without further adu, enjoy Sontails: War of Faith._

 **Sequel story to Sontails: Dreams Come True! Read before continuing to read this story!**

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Chapter 1

Tropical Paradise

The Mobian continent. A land once the pinnacle of peace and prosperity as Mobius, Aves, Macton, Vapos and Zuncon grew together as one united nation. Then one day, one hundred years ago, everything changed when the biggest secret was uncovered. A secret relationship between the lands biggest stars, Mina and Nichole was uncovered, plummeting the entire continent into war as people descended into demons, tearing each other apart. The great war lasted over ten years until one despot, Large the cat, came to power and tried to conquer the continent for the mighty Chaos. The only way the other nations could defend themselves was to join the forces and enact a peace treaty, splitting the land into five.

However, history has a way of repeating itself. One hundred years later, another disciple of Chaos and the grandson of Large, Big, set into motion the gears of war once again all because of the budding relationship of a particular sapphire hedgehog and his golden fox love. Sonic and Tails might have been able to flee the land, but the flames of war they stoked continued to burn in their wake, fanned by the vengeful fury of Wave the swallow after Big mercilessly slaughtered her companions, Jet and Storm.

 _Three months later…_

A loud explosion echoed through the black sky as lead-filled rain peppered the barren wasteland. The deafening explosions and constant bullet fire burst their ear drums, sending high pitched wails rocking through the avian army.

"He's got us pinned, what do we do commander?" the rust furred vixen, clad head to toe in black leather screamed to the swallow ducking behind the trench next to her.

"We can't give up yet! This war has gone on far too long already and I refuse to let that swine live any longer," Wave bellowed in reply, spit flying from her beak as flames raged on in her eyes, lighting her fighting spirit.

"We're out manned and out gunned. As your second in command, I highly recommend retreating," Fiona shouted back over the screams of more of their soldiers being ripped to shreds by the barrage of incoming bullets that seemed to be never ending. Wave glanced over at Fiona, the wisdom of her words evident on her face as Wave nodded solemnly, acknowledging their truth.

"Okay, tell the men we must retreat for now." Fiona nodded before scurrying off to the other small make-shift trenches dug into the barren wastelands situated in front of the grand cliff sides of Aves.

"What's the matter Wave? Running away with your tail between your legs already?" A deep, victorious voice boomed out over the land. Wave clenched her fists, burying the intense hatred she felt down as she tried to perform a strategic retreat with the rest of her troops, avoiding the bullets that still peppered the air.

"General, should we make chase?" a red and black armadillo asked, crouching behind an adjacent tree that the black hedgehog was also concealed behind at the tree line of the forest.

"No, let them run. We don't have a strong enough force for a full frontal assault. Man the front until I return. I must go speak with him," Shadow spoke to the armadillo, leaving him in charge until his return.

Shadow stood, darting from behind his cover to retreat back into the depths of the forest. Wave peeked her head out from behind her cover, checking to see if the coast was clear for her to join her troops in escape when she noticed the hedgehog out in the open.

"Hey, Shadow," she shouted as loud as she could. The hedgehog picked up her call, turning his head to see what Wave was planning when, in one fell swoop, Wave rolled out of cover, aimed her rifle and fired before hastening backwards to join the rest of her army in the safety of the underground bunkers built into the cliff sides of Aves.

The bullet ripped through the air as it flew towards its target, barely missing Shadow as it skimmed past his face, burning a deep scar into the side of his cheek. The hedgehog bellowed deeply as he clutched his singed, burning face from the friction and heat of the bullet that was mere centimeters from killing him. He stared back, hate filled embers dancing in his crimson eyes as he watched the swallow retreat.

"You'll regret that. You'll all regret that when Mobius takes over this un-Chaosly country!"

…

The sun shone brightly on the peaceful beach. The gentle sounds of the rolling waves crashing against the golden sand filled the air, mixing with the periodic squawks of seagulls soaring over head. The palm trees situated on the border of beach and forest swayed gently in the evening breeze, lapping up the warm rays of the radiating sun overhead. Everything was peaceful in the tropical island that had been recently named as Paradise.

The sand exploded upwards, cascading all around as the individual granules billowed around in the air as the ruby red shoes smashed down into the sand. Sweat gleamed off his brows as Sonic sprinted through the peaceful beach, the only sounds being made were his shoes crunching on the dry sand and his pants as he sped up, faster and faster.

Sonic glanced up at the horizon of the winding beach, nearing the end of his run. As he slowed his pace down to a jog to finish his lap of the island, a large, wooden treehouse situated high up in the foliage of the tall trees began to fade into view. Sonic came to a stop at the small area of the beach that had recently been sanctioned off and co-inhabited by the teen.

Sonic walked over to a large barrel situated underneath a messy mass of wide, lush green leaves tied together with vines like a small slide. He removed a small plug that had been placed in there, cupping his hands underneath as a thin stream of water fell outwards. Sonic brought his hands to his mouth, gulping down the fresh water captured from the previous night's rainfall.

After quenching his thirst, Sonic walked over to the small patch of dirt and knelt down, inspecting the planted vegetables. Sonic gripped the leafy end of one of the rooted crops, wrenching a few out of the ground before picking up the long, wooden instrument and re-hoeing the ground before planting a few more. Sonic then walked over to the fat post stuck deep into the sand at the water's edge and gripped the rope that was tied to it with his free hand.

Sonic heaved, using all his might to gradually pull the rope out of the water. Slowly, a large net filled with a small amount of fish began to emerge from the water. The fish flopped around, suffocating as Sonic dragged the net up onto the sand and, grabbing one of the spears that were hooked onto the post, skewered a couple of the fish before hurling the net back out into the deep blue ocean.

Sonic smiled, walking over to the small circle of stones laid out on the beach, far enough away from the water's edge that they are never impeded by high tide but not so far that the lush foliage of the forest hangs above it. Sonic plucked one of the large leaves off of an adjacent tree and placed the fish and plants on top of it, making sure sand didn't cling to the wet scales of the fish before wiping the sweat off of his brow.

Sonic turned to look out over the sea that extended out into the horizon, meeting with the setting sun to extend beautiful reflections in hues of deep salmon orange across the water's surface. He smiled before turning and walking over to the thickest tree, gripping one of the rungs of the rope ladder before he began climbing upwards towards the tree house.

The wooden floorboards were held up by the wiry, thick branches crisscrossing together like that of a fence. Sonic grabbed the handle and pushed upwards. The hatch opened inwards, folding over to collapse on the floor before Sonic finished his ascension and stepped up into the confines of the house.

He stretched his limbs out, yawning was he walked over to one of the three beds that lined the walls, and most of the floor room, of the house. He smiled as his eyes fell upon a small hump in the bed, rising and falling softly. Sonic sat down next to the bed and smoothed his hand over the object.

"Wakey, wakey," he whispered soothingly as the individual wrapped up in a cocoon of blankets turned over, his eyes fluttering open.

"Oh, hey Sonic. Sorry, I must have dozed off," the golden furred fox yawned as he sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Good sleep?" Sonic asked casually as his emerald eyes stared deep into the azure iris' of the fox.

"It was okay, but it's much better being here with you in person instead of just dreaming of you," Tails giggled before he leant forward, closing his eyes and tilting his head. His lips were met by those of Sonic's as the two kissed deeply and passionately, their tongues dancing together. Sonic enveloped Tails with his arms, his hands running through the hair on the back of Tails' head.

After a few moments, Sonic pulled back, greedily gulping in some of the air.

"I thought running was supposed to increase your lung capacity," Tails teased, nuzzling his face in Sonic's neck as he melted into the hedgehog's hug.

"Hey, lay off. I just got back from a run and am exhausted," Sonic defended himself as he enjoyed Tails' scent.

"I could tell by the slight palpitations of your heart beat," Tails pointed out in a slightly didactic tone. "I know I make your heart race but clearly not like that."

"You're such a dork," Sonic chuckled.

"Yeah, but I'm your dork," Tails replied, flicking the hedgehog's black nose.

"And I wouldn't have it any other way," Sonic smiled, giving Tails another quick peck on the lips before standing up. "Now c'mon, buddy. I gathered the fish, picked a couple crops and got it all ready by the fire. Now you have to pull your weight, you know how bad I am at lighting that stupid fire."

"Come on, just give me five more minutes. Besides, I'm not even that hungry," Tails whined as he flung the blanket back over him. He suddenly froze when a loud gurgling sound emanated from his rumbling stomach.

"Oh really," Sonic smirked at him. Slight crimson flushed Tails' cheeks.

"Fine, let's go get dinner ready. But you know it's Knuckles turn to have the blanket tonight," Tails huffed as he got up and tossed the blanket over to the red echidna's empty bed.

"You can just cuddle up to me if you get cold," Sonic offered as he walked over to the entrance hatch.

"I was going to do that anyway," Tails winked. Sonic just laughed in response as he stepped down onto one of the rungs.

"By the way, do you know where Blaze and Knuckles are?" Sonic asked as he began his descent.

"Don't know," Tails shrugged as he followed close behind. "I think they went out to get firewood. They should be back any minute."

…

The parakeets squawked loudly, perched on the thick branches that extended out of the canopy overhead. Knuckles strolled casually, keeping an eye out for the bushy understory for any fallen branches or logs for the fire that night.

"Why do I always get stuck with collecting the wood," he sighed aloud, bending over to pick up a rather thick log. As he continued along his path, he heard a twig snap from behind. He quickly whipped his head around, spinning on his heels but saw nothing. The red echidna shrugged and began to turn around when he heard another snap, closer this time.

"H-Hello? Sonic, Tails, Blaze? Are any of you out there?" he called but no response came. 'Funny, when we scoured the island we didn't find any large mammals living here,' he thought, scratching his head as he tried to bury the thought deep in the confines of his mind. However, the longer he searched for wood, the closer and closer he heard the noises. It was almost as if he was being followed.

"Okay guys, cut it out. This isn't funny anymore," he complained but still no reply came. He began to sweat, his nerves getting the better of him as his imagination ran wild. He held his breath, craning his neck to listen out for any sounds to try to pin point where the sound was coming from.

Knuckles froze when he heard some faint rustling sounds emanating from a nearby bush. He began to tip-toe lightly over to the bush, planning to take the animal by surprise. Slowly, he made it to the bush and leapt over it in an attempt to capture the beast but unfortunately, there was nothing there and Knuckles collapsed with a thud into the hard dirt underfoot.

"Ouch," Knuckles rubbed his arm as he looked around, utterly confused. He got up, brushing off the dust from his fur when suddenly a guttural growl screamed through the air as a creature popped out from behind an adjacent tree, arms raised and teeth snarling.

Knuckles screamed at the top of his voice, his normal deep voice replaced by a high pitched wail as his face turned as white as a ghost. He turned to run, tripping over his own feet in the process and ending up on his back, shaking in sheer terror.

"Hahahaha," the feline laughed as she lowered her arms and clutched her stomach, struggling to breath from the laughter.

"That wasn't funny," Knuckles sulked when he managed to regather his composure.

"You should have seen your face," Blaze chuckled, wiping away a stray tear of joy from her eye with her index finger.

"I thought you were some kind of beast."

"Still am," Blaze sneered as she extended her arm, winking at the echidna. "Come on, let me help you up." Knuckles regretfully lifted his arm and placed his hand in hers, feeling her begin to lift him up. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head and he pulled the feline down with all his might. She screamed as she fell, landing next to him on the dirt.

"How was the fall, see you next trip," Knuckles laughed as Blaze pouted at him.

"Hey, that could have really hurt me," she punched him in the arm. "And you couldn't even get the stupid punch line right."

"An eye for an eye makes the whole world one-eyed," Knuckles smirked at her.

"You're such an idiot, but I guess I deserved that," Blaze admitted, smiling back at the echidna. The two stayed there for a moment, staring at each other before Blaze began to lean inwards, closing her eyes as she was met by the supple lips of the echidna.

Blaze shuddered with pleasure as she wrapped her arms around him and rolled on top of him, her legs positioned on either side of his waist.

"Well, that was unexpected," Knuckles chuckled deeply as he stared up at her, the setting sun blocked out by her body crouching on top of him. "So… what do you wanna do now?" he remarked with lust filled eyes.

"I'm going back to the beach and you're going to go collect more firewood," she smirked before hopping off her and turning to walk away.

"Aren't you at least going to help me up?" Knuckles called out after her.

"You're the big, strong man, surely you can get up yourself. Or do you need me to come protect you from the mean old cat monster," she giggled, winking at him. Knuckles pouted playfully before getting up and returning to his gathering, watching the violet feline disappear from view.

…

The moon shone brightly, illuminating the cold sandy beach below. The stars dotted the sky, twinkling brightly as their light sifted through the billowing smoke clouding from the dancing embers from the make shift fire lit on the beach.

"That was some good fish," Knuckles belched, leaning back to rub his full stomach.

"You're disgusting," Tails laughed as he took another small bite from his cooked fish.

"You're just jealous that I have the blanket tonight," Knuckles replied with a confident smirk.

"We really need to work on finding a better way to stay warm at night instead of just switching between the old blanket," Sonic added.

"Hey, at least you two get each other for warmth," Blaze complained, folding her arms over each other as she scooted slightly closer to the small fire.

"The offer is always open to come sleep with me," Knuckles winked.

"I don't think we are there just yet," Blaze said, rubbing his back before placing a small kiss on his cheek.

"Don't worry Blaze, I can come snuggle with you tonight if you would like," Tails offered. Knuckles and Sonic both stared at him, furrowing their brows.

"I might have to take you up on that offer if this wind keeps up," Blaze shivered, rubbing her hands for warmth.

"Hey! Isn't anybody going to ask if I'm okay with that?" Knuckles whined.

"Yeah, I don't want to be cold tonight," Sonic complained.

"Wait, what? That's what you are concerned about, not them sleeping together?" Knuckles asked but Sonic simply replied with a shrug.

"Yeah, because Tails and I are really going to have some hot, sweaty sex with each other," Blaze rolled her eyes sarcastically.

"We'll try to keep it down so you can get some sleep with your warm blanket," Tails added.

"Do you guys mind if I watch? I don't like feeling left out," Sonic added.

"Sure," they both replied before the three of them fell backwards in laughter.

"You all suck," Knuckles pouted but couldn't help the slight curvature of his lips as a trace of a smile began to form.

"That's true. You're the only one sitting on this beach that doesn't do that," Blaze whispered into his ear, causing the echidna to go even redder than he normally was. Sonic and Tails couldn't take it anymore, struggling for breath as a shock of laughter ripped through the two of them.

"Well, I'm kind of tired so I'm going to go to bed. See you tomorrow," Knuckles yawned, standing up to stretch out his body before he retired over to the tree.

Sonic sat up, leaning backwards on his hands to prop himself up as he looked up into the sky, smiling as he felt Tails crawl closer to him and take a seat in his lap. Sonic chuckled, resting his chin on the top of the fox's head as he wrapped his arms around Tails' stomach.

"Sometimes you two make me so jealous," Blaze sighed as she watched the two of them.

"Well, you have Knuckles, don't you?" Tails asked innocently.

"When are you going to let him take your relationship to the next level?" Sonic asked, looking over to make sure that Knuckles had already climbed up into the wooden house before speaking.

"I don't know," she sighed, contemplating the thought. "I just don't think I'm ready to make it to that stage yet. Soon," she concluded before her gaze shifted over to a small object resting on the beach in the distance.

"Still can't move on from… him, yet?" Sonic asked, sympathy in his voice and eyes.

"A day goes by when I don't think about him," she admitted solemnly. "I just feel like I'm betraying him if I go the next step with Knuckles."

"I'm sure he would want you to be happy," Tails added. "And if Knuckles makes you happy, he would want you to be with him."

"I'm sure you're right, but…" Blaze stared up at the skies, picturing the hedgehog looking down at her. "You guys should go to bed, I'm going to go for a little walk," Blaze said as she rose.

"Okay, goodnight Blaze," Sonic responded, stifling a yawn as Tails and him stood up. "But don't stay out too late, it's getting cold."

"I'm going to go get some water to put out the fire, I'll be up in a minute," Tails whispered to Sonic, wrapping his arms around the hedgehog's waist.

"Okay, don't keep me waiting too long," Sonic replied with a smile, placing a kiss on the kit's forehead before retiring to the house. Tails walked over to the water's edge, scooping up some of the water in a hollowed out semi-spherical coconut.

"Hey Blaze?" he called out as the cat began to wonder down the beach.

"Yeah?"

"Don't be too long or I'm coming out to find you," Tails smiled, hugging her.

"I won't be long," she returned the gesture before walking off down the beach. Tails sighed to himself as he poured the water on the fire, dousing the flames as steam rose up into the sky, dissipating in the dark atmosphere over the tropical island that the four had recently made a home and a paradise.

…

The grand castle of Mobius loomed over the desolate streets, towering above the rest of the buildings as stone spires protruded out from the top like the horns of the devil. The normally abandoned, slightly run down castle lay in one of the most southern points of the community, and continent, constructed by Large in the great ten-year war. After the war, the community turned it into a museum but since the second great war began three months ago, it had been slightly rebuilt and transformed into the main headquarters.

Vector, the angry green crocodile sat on the throne as he skulked alone in the dark. He eyes darted upwards as the large doors to the room began to push inwards, letting a small stream of light into the room.

"Who goes there?" Vector snarled out into the darkness.

"Lord Vector, my apologies," Shadow replied as he walked into the room, saluting to the crocodile.

"Shadow, what have I told you about barging into my castle unannounced. Shouldn't you be out at the front lines destroying that blasted avian?" Vector barked back at the hedgehog, spit flying from his jaws.

"My apologies. I left my first in command, Mighty, in charge while I was gone," Shadow apologized.

"I didn't make you general for you to shift the responsibility to somebody else. There are many others who would kill for that position."

"Apologies again, however I did manage to push them back into retreating but there is no way my troops can engage the enemy while they are hiding in the underground bunkers. They know the cliffs and mountains much better than we do. If you want this to end, we need more troops," Shadow declared.

"Fair enough. I'll get in touch with Amy and get her to come over to the front. That will be all."

"Didn't you send Amy out on the boats to search for your son?" Shadow asked.

"She returned with no further information of their whereabouts."

"We can't give up searching for them. They don't deserve to live; they deserve to be sent down into the fiery depths of hell with Iblis for what they-"

"That's enough!" Vector held up his hand, silencing the angry rant of the hedgehog.

"Understood," Shadow reluctantly agreed.

"Oh, and Shadow?" Vector called, causing the hedgehog to turn around. "Don't worry about trying to get Wave. I have a plan to eradicate that issue once and for all very soon. Just hold the lines and don't let any of those flying mongrels enter our sacred lands."

"But-"

"I said that's enough!" Vector shouted over the top of the arguing hedgehog, interrupting him. "Leave."

"Yes… my lord," Shadow grunted under his breath, grinding his teeth before turning to leave. He clutched his face, feeling the fresh scar that Wave had previously given him, cursing her name under his breath. "Whatever you say."

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 _A/N: I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter and are as excited as I am for the rest of this story to unfold. Please don't forget to let me know what you thought about this chapter and what you are excited for in the coming chapters by leaving a review. Reading reviews really helps with motivation and it's great feedback to help me create the best story I can and I love interacting with my fans. If you want to keep up to date, don't forget to also leave a follow and if you really enjoyed it then chuck it a favourite, it really helps. I hope you are ready for another 24 chapters in the Sontails series and, as always, thanks for reading :)_


	2. Chapter 2: The Storm

_A/N: Wow, thanks for all the amazing support. All the follows, favourites and reviews on the first chapter have been so overwhelming and I can't thank all of you enough. Reading all the reviews sent in puts a smile on my face and is really what gives me motivation to keep working on this story and keep writing new chapters quickly so thank you. Just to quickly clear something up, no, this island isn't bygone island but it is based off the island so for all intensive purposes you can think of it like that. There are no other canimals or villages on the island however. Anyway, enough rambling, on with the chapter!_

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Chapter 2

The Storm

The moon shone high above, shining brightly upon the barren water that extended endlessly out into the wide expanse of ocean. From the small beach, no other sign of land or civilization, giving the inhabitants the feeling of total solitude and seclusion.

The violet feline knelt down next to the makeshift little slab of stone, covered slightly in some mossy substance from occasionally being pelted by the crashing waves when the tide grew high enough and washed its way further up the beach than usual. She sighed, letting a small tear roll slowly down her cheek as she wrapped her hands around the stone.

Blaze laid down onto her side, allowing the cooling winds to blow across her fur as she ran her finger along the little gravestone, feeling the grooves and indents of the words that were sloppily etched into the stone.

 _Here lies Silver. Friend to many and boyfriend to Blaze. His sacrifice will never be forgotten_

Blaze shivered, the cold night air chilling her down to the bone, but she refused to leave the graves side.

"Silver… I miss you," she whispered as she let her head crane upwards towards the heavens. Her eyes scanned the sky, taking in all the little constellations that were created by the dancing stars that illuminated the sky like lights.

"I'm sure he's up there somewhere, looking down at us and smiling," a voice said, startling Blaze and whipping her out of her trance. She quickly darted her head in surprise, her unease dissipating when her eyes fell upon a frowning golden fox.

"Oh, hey Tails, what are you doing here?" Blaze asked casually, looking back towards the grave.

"It's been almost an hour and you never came back up so I came to find you," he replied kindly, walking over to sit cross-legged beside her. "I was worried about you."

"Was it really that long? It felt like I only just got here," she sighed. Tails looked upon the feline with sadness, seeing the pain, hurt and longing in her eyes. She didn't have to say a word, as all that she could ever express was written along her facial features and buried deep within her amber eyes.

"Blaze, you should really come back to the treehouse. It's getting colder by the second and you might get sick if you stay out here much longer," Tails warned with care flooding his words.

"Yeah, I know. But I just miss him so much, Tails."

"Me too, Blaze. He gave his life to save ours. Despite some poor choices, he really was the bravest, kindest person I have ever met," Tails reconciled the feline, placing his hand on her shoulder as she smiled.

"Do you really think he is up there?" she asked, glancing back up at the twinkling stars that peppered the sky.

"I do. I think he is watching us and is happy for the life we managed to secure for ourselves."

"Tails… can I ask you something?" Blaze asked. Tails nodded. "Do you promise to answer me honestly, no matter what?" Tails nodded again.

"Do you think that I'm betraying his memory?" Tails furrowed his brow, confused by the question.

"Of course not."

"No, I mean… being with Knuckles. Like hugging and kissing him. I feel like I'm betraying Silver," she lamented.

"Blaze, all you have to do is ask yourself how you really feel about Knuckles," Tails replied solemnly.

"I… I don't know. I really like him, and not just for looks. He is kind and always looks out for me. Did you know he spent all night watching over me and protecting me when we first got here and has cared for me ever since. I don't care that he is not the brightest bulb because what he lacks in brains he more than makes up for with heart and soul," Blaze replied, deep in thought and reflection.

"So there is your answer. He makes you happy and I'm sure all Silver wants is for you to be happy."

"But… I just feel like I can't. Every time I think it is okay to take our relationship to the next level, I imagine Silver's hurt expression and I just can't go through with it."

"Blaze, I can't tell you what to do, but if you love Knuckles and he makes you happy, I'm sure Silver will be happy. He wouldn't want you to live your life constantly sad because of him. He loved you and sacrificed himself so that we could all live and be free. Don't let his sacrifice be in vein," Tails finalized.

Blaze thought about his words, glancing off into the horizon. As if a sign from Silver himself, as she stared at the spot where the ocean meets the sky, two dolphins leapt out of the water together, spinning in the cooling breeze before submerging back into the depths.

"You're right," Blaze breathed finally. "Silver would want me to be happy."

"He would be proud of you," Tails smiled. "Now come on, let's get back inside before you catch a cold," Tails finished, extending out his hand.

"Just give me a couple minutes and I'll meet you up there. I want to say my final goodbyes." Tails nodded before silently standing and leaving. Blaze pressed two fingers to her lips, kissing them before placing them gently on the make-shift grave.

"Goodbye, Silver. I'll never forget you," she whispered under her breath, letting the wind carry her words skywards into the great beyond.

…

Tails snaked his way back into the make-shift bed, slipping his leg in between those of the sleeping hedgehog's to conserve some body heat. Tails laid his head down on the bed, nuzzling into the crook of Sonic's neck as he closed his eyes. A few moments later, his ears picked up the quiet sound of the wooden hatch opening and cluttering against the floor.

Tails lifted his head to watch a sullen Blaze crawl up onto the floor and gently close the hatch before walking over to her bed. He watched, a small smile crossing his face as she stopped in front of her bed before glancing over to the red echidna. Blaze turned and tiptoed over to Knuckles, lifting up the blanket and crawling into the bed with him, draping one arm over him before resting her head on his chest.

Knuckles opened his eyes in surprise, frozen before he looked downwards to see the cat's head resting gently against his chest, rising and falling periodically with his breathing. Knuckles felt her shake, shivering from the cold and he placed an arm over her, slowly smoothing his hand through her hair that was tied back in a ponytail.

Knuckles smiled happily as he closed his eyes and gently drifted off to sleep, content in the knowledge that the cat the he loved was snuggling into his chest, finally accepting him.

"You did good, Tails," a voice whispered softly into his ear.

"I'm just glad that they are both happy," Tails sighed contently.

"Look at you, my little match-maker," Sonic cooed seductively into Tails' ear, causing a shiver to go down the fox's spine. "You're making everybody happy, but you don't get anything out of it in return."

"I don't need anything in return. I did it for them, not me."

"Are you sure you don't want… anything… in return," Sonic hissed, nibbling the fox's ear. Sonic smirked to himself as he heard Tails' breathing slow, swapping short rapid breaths with long, drawn out sighs. Sonic continued his onslaught of Tails' senses, planting small kisses on the side of his neck, slowly going lower down and crossing over to the kit's stomach.

Sonic's actions elicited a long, pleasurable moan out of Tails as he felt Sonic's lips steadily go lower and lower, exploring his body as Tails' heart rate began to increase. All he could hear was the blood pumping through his veins from excitement and all he could feel were the spots where Sonic's lips touched his tingling skin and fur before letting out a long, soft moan as Sonic finally clasped his lips around the object of his desire.

The night grew long as Sonic and Tails delighted in a passionate expression, making sure to keep their activities quiet as to not disturb the other two occupants until they both fell backwards on the bed. Tired, sweaty, sticky and fulfilled.

Tails rolled onto his side, his eyes lost in Sonic's dreamy emerald pools as he beamed a contented smile.

"I'm so glad we escaped that dreadful place," he sighed as he cuddled up next to the inviting hedgehog.

"Me too. We were so lucky to find this paradise. I never want to return," Sonic agreed, spooning the little delicate fox that lay between his arms. Tails pushed his rear up against Sonic's front, getting more comfortable as he bathed in the heat that radiated from Sonic.

"As long as you're here, I could stay on this island forever."

"Agreed. This truly is a paradise," Sonic smiled at the fox. "I love you."

"I love you too, Sonic."

…

"As much as I love them, I really didn't need to hear that last night," Knuckles shuddered as he stepped over a shrub, helping Blaze over it after him.

"Come on, I think it was kind of cute," Blaze giggled, enjoying the echidna's clear embarrassment about the topic of conversation.

"No it wasn't! Those groans and moans will be in my nightmares for the next week!" Knuckles exclaimed over-dramatically.

"Come on, it wasn't that bad," Blaze defended her friends.

"Not that bad? It sounded like they were trying to kill each other last night."

"Well if they were in pain I'd be able to help them," Blaze responded with a confident grin. "I used to always help out mum back at the hospital during the weekends. She was teaching me to be a doctor…" Blaze trailed off, her smile being replaced with a frown as memories of her mother and family flooded through her thoughts. "…back when we were in Mobius…"

"Blaze… I'm sure your mother still loves you despite us running away to help Sonic and Tails," Knuckles tried to reassure her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I know but… Knuckles…" She paused, looking at him as she contemplated whether to bring up her thought or not.

"Yeah?"

"Never mind… it was a stupid thought,"

"Are you regretting leaving Mobius?" Knuckles asked, surprising Blaze.

"A little…" Blaze admitted. "I mean, I love both of them and they are my closest friends but… I had to leave everything to help them. Silver… he… he gave everything for them…"

"…And now we are stuck on this island, blocked from our families and friends by the ocean," Knuckles added sadly.

"Are we horrible people for holding it against them? I mean, they didn't ask us to help them and run away."

"Yeah, and they didn't ask Silver to do what he did…"

"But I can't help but blame them a little," the echidna and cat said in unison, looking at each other. They both just stared at each other, neither one knowing what to say or do as the pent up aggression that had been buried inside each other them began to slowly bubble to the surface.

It wasn't until they both had stopped thinking about their situation that Blaze realized that it had begun to spit, before turning into a sizable downpour.

"We should really get back to the tree-house. This rain is getting heavy and the wind is picking up a bit," Blaze pointed out, holding her arms close to her body to avoid the steady winds that had started late the previous night and picked up throughout the morning.

"Yeah… let's go," Knuckles agreed as the two began to run back towards the beach. As the echidna and cat ran, the winds began to blow harder, not only rustling the branches but proving strong enough to break off branches.

"Watch out!" Knuckles screamed as he jumped at Blaze, pushing her to the ground as he roughly fell on top of her, narrowly avoiding the thick branch that fell from the tree and smashed into the ground beside them, wood splintering everywhere.

"…thanks," Blaze mouthed as she quickly got up and continued to run. The two dodged the falling branches that were being torn from their tree's by the gale-force winds, holding their hands in front of their faces to avoid the torrential downpour stinging their eyes.

Eventually, after a couple more near-misses, Blaze and Knuckles burst out through the foliage and emerged on the beach, gasping at the gigantic waves that surged out of the ocean and smashed roughly against the grainy sand.

"Blaze, Knuckles! Where have you been? We need help!" A golden fox screamed, as he held onto the rope that was tethered to the wooden post. Knuckles nodded, rushing over to grab the rope and helped Tails haul the net out of the water.

"What do we do with it?" Knuckles screamed, barely audible over the howling winds and crashing waves.

"Just throw it somewhere in the forest. We just can't let it get damaged," Tails replied with a hint of fear in his eyes. "Blaze, can you go check the garden? Grab all the plants out even if they are not done and grab the hoe. It's the only food we currently have left!" Tails called over to her. Blaze nodded, making her way over to the make-shift garden, rushing underneath the teetering treehouse.

"Hey Tails, where is Sonic?"

"Up there," Tails pointed towards the house that seemed to be slowly breaking apart. "He wanted to grab some of the things up there and take them into the forest in case the treehouse came down."

Suddenly, as if Chaos himself was punishing the four deserters, another gust of strong winds blew across the beach, causing one of the branches underneath the tree house to snap. Tails and Knuckles gasped, watching in slow motion as the floor boards began to give way and the house came crashing down.

"Blaze!"  
"Sonic!"

The two yelled out in panic as the treehouse smashed down onto the beach with Sonic inside while Blaze desperately tried to dive out of the way of the wood collapsing on her.

* * *

 _A/N: Well there you have it, the end of chapter 2. What will come of Blaze and Knuckles' growing bitterness towards the two lovers? Is Sonic still in the treehouse? What will happen to Blaze with a house falling on top of her? Will either of them make it out alive? Find out next chatpter :P_

 _I really hope you enjoyed this new chapter and I will continue to keep trying to aim for a new chapter to be realeased every Thursday but it's really up to how motivated I say and really, it's interacting with my fans and reading reviews that give me that motivation to continue. Seeing just how much people are reading and enjoying, as well as recieving feedback to understand what worked well and what didn't, is what helps me keep going so if you like the chapter, please consider leaving a short review to let me know. It really means a lot. Anyway, thanks for reading and I'll see you next chapter :)_

 _Next Time on Sontails: War of Faith - Chapter 3: Aftermath_


	3. Chapter 3: Aftermath

_A/N: Hey guys, I don't really have anything to say here so enjoy the chapter :)_

* * *

Chapter 3

Aftermath

Time seemed to slow to a stop for the golden furred fox and the red echidna as they stood helplessly by the shore line, clutching the net between their hands, breath caught in their lungs.

All that could be heard over the deafening winds that howled loudly across the shore from the ocean where the fearful screams of Sonic, trapped inside the collapsing tree house that was breaking apart, and Blaze, standing underneath the falling house.

Blaze, a split second to react, quickly lunged forward, flying off her feet as she slid across the sand with a thud, barely managing to roll out of the way as planks of wood skewered into the sand all around her. She quickly moved her legs outward, narrowly avoiding one of the floorboards spearing into the sand just inches away from her pelvis.

The cat screamed, closing her eyes and placing her arms over her head to shield her face from the wooden planks that rained down from the sky like arrows. To add insult to injury, another branch from the tree bent in the breeze before snapping off with a loud break, plummeting swiftly to the ground.

"Blaze!" Knuckles yelled, breaking from the trance he was in as he rushed over to the cat but was too late to stop the branch. Luckily, the thicker part smashed to pieces' inches away from her head but small twigs and splinters peppered her body, scratching her delicate skin and drawing blood all over.

"Are you okay?" Knuckles asked, sweat on his brow as he bent down, scooping up her head in his hands as he looked upon her, studying her figure to make sure she wasn't cut too badly at any place.

"I'm fine…" Blaze breathed, still recovering from her shock. "Where is… Sonic?" she asked, pointing towards the mess of the former treehouse on the sand.

"Sonic…" Tails shouted in a panicked voice before shaking himself out of his own chance and took off, sprinting towards the pile, ready to feverishly dig out the individual planks until he rescued his beloved. However, in his haste, Tails continued to hold onto the net. The rope extended to its limit where Tails was less than a meter away from the destroyed house when he was pulled backwards by the rope, falling on his bottom.

The force of his running dislodged the thick, wooden post from its spot in the sand.

"Tails!" Blaze and Knuckles both screamed in unison as the saw a huge wave smash down onto the sand, washing away more of the sand that held the post in place. This was coupled by another powerful gust of wind that, thanks to the post's weakened state, broke loose of its sandy prison and flew through the air, smashing into the back of Tails' head.

All Tails could hear was the worried and frantic calls of his friends before he blacked out, falling backwards onto the soft sand below.

…

The wind began to pick up, whipping through the ebony hedgehog's quills as he left his house, geared up to return back to the battle field and his commander that was holding the front lines, Mighty.

He looked out towards the ocean, searching for something but was interrupted by a high pitched, angry voice scolding him from behind. Shadow spun around and sighed in annoyance as he came face to face with none other than Amy Rose.

"What do you want Amy?" He groaned.

"You're about to go back to the lines, aren't you?" She queried. Shadow nodded, his facial expression remaining unchanged.

"So?"

"So! So you didn't come up to see me at all since you got back. Am I just not good enough anymore?" She screeched at him.

"Amy, this isn't the time, I have to go," Shadow disregarded her, trying to walk passed her but the angry hedgehog stepped in front of him, blocking his path.

"All you care about is this stupid war. Why? Why is this so important to you? I know you're not doing this in the name of Chaos. You're far too selfish for that,' She narrowed her eyes, studying his reaction, noticing the disgusting, deep scar that trailed across his face.

"I serve Vector and Mobius. That's all," he replied bluntly.

"No, I know it's more. You've been pushing a conquering assault despite Vector's orders to defend. You've been so antsy to break through Aves, but why?"

"You're crazy," Shadow waved her off, pushing her aside as he grabbed his bag and began setting off on foot down the road, heading north.

"No I'm not. I think I know. The only time you ever come see me is when I get back from the boat searches for Sonic and Tails. You were always mad that Vector put me on the case and not you."

"Amy, stop," Shadow growled, freezing in place before facing her.

"No, I won't! I finally figured out why you are so adamant about getting through Aves. You want to march into Vapos, capture the territory just so you can utilize their aquatic equipment to be able to search for Sonic and Tails."

"Enough!"

"You never even loved me, did you? You only went with me just to make Sonic and Tails mad. You've always had a sick rivalry with Sonic and always hated Tails, and when you found out about the two, you did everything to make their lives miserable. They are all you think about. All of your actions have something to do with those two in some form or another," Amy continued.

"Stop… I won't warn you again," Shadow warned in a threatening tone, walking closer so that he was standing right in front of her. Amy puffed out her chest, engrossed by anger.

"You know what I think. I think you have some sick obsession with them. Your life revolves around them, always has and always will, and in some perverted way, you need them. You thrive off your hatred off them and since they are gone, you're nothing. No, you're less than nothing… You're-"

Amy was immediately silenced by a slap across the face by Shadow. Amy gasped, looking into his hate fuelled crimson eyes. He let out a deep, guttural growl as he stared daggers in her eyes. There was barely an inch separating their faces as Amy shrunk backwards, feeling like she was looking into the face of Iblis incarnate.

"You got one thing right," he stated coldly. "I never loved you," he whispered hatefully into her ear before turning around and walking off, never looking back.

…

Tails floated around in a vast blackness. Emptiness stretched for miles in every direction around him, nothing at all to be seen anywhere. Tails scratched his head, trying to recall what happened and where he was when a familiar voice broke through the silence.

"Tails? Hello?"

Tails darted his head left and right, trying to find the source of the noise but could still see only darkness. The voice came again, this time in a more worried tone.

"Tails, please be okay buddy." The voice was sad and was followed by some muffled sobs. Tails immediately knew who it was. It was Sonic.

Tails laid on the beach, eyes closed on his back as Sonic, Blaze and Knuckles all crouched around him, trying to get him to regain his senses.

"What do we do?" Knuckles asked.

"Let me think," Blaze responded quickly, flustered. "Now if I can remember what my mum taught me… when a patient is knocked unconscious we should-"

Before Blaze could recall what she had been taught, a soft, barely audible moan escaped Tails' lips.

"T-Tails…?" Sonic asked, his eyes widening with hope. The golden fox's eyes began to flutter before shooting open as Tails hurriedly sat up, his head darting left and right.

"Sonic! Sonic! We have to help him," he yelled frantically, trying to stand before a splitting pain hammered into his head. Tails felt like he had just been smashed in the temple and quickly stumbled over, falling back down as he held his head.

"Whoa, take it easy buddy, I'm right here," Sonic soothed, kneeling down to look Tails in the eyes. Without warning, the fox burst out into tears, falling into Sonic as he wrapped his hands around the hedgehog and buried his face into his chest.

"Calm down Tails… it's okay I'm right here," Sonic whispered delicately into his ear, rubbing his hand smoothly over his back to calm the fox down.

"I-I thought y-you were…" Tails mumbled through his gasps, tears trickling down his face as he clung tighter to the other boy.

"Hey, now you know how you made me feel back at the park," Sonic tried to lighten the mood with a joke, earning himself a small punch in the arm by Tails who began to gather his composure and sit back up on his own.

"Not funny."

"Sorry," Sonic apologized, as Tails held his head in pain, a splitting headache still slamming him.

"Wait, what happened? How long was I out?" Tails asked, noticing that the storm had subsided as the winds had reduced, the tides had receded and there was only a light rain pelting the teenagers.

"About half an hour?" Sonic responded, looking over to Blaze and Knuckles to see if they had any better idea. The duo just shrugged as Sonic returned his attention back to the fox. "We tried to wake you but I thought… well, let's not go into what was going through my head."

"I thought the same thing about you," Tails frowned. "How did you survive the treehouse?"

"Well, I was inside when it gave way but managed to quickly jump out the window just as it completely fell apart. Despite a sprained ankle and a few cuts and bruises, I'm fine," he replied, pointing to his ankle that appeared to be slightly swollen and purple.

"It looks like we both can't help but keep getting hurt at the same time. First our shoulders, now your ankle and my head," Tails giggled slightly.

"We might be cursed."

"If I had to be cursed, I'm glad it was with you," Tails smiled.

"I'd still rather not be though," Sonic laughed before he leant in and pressed his lips against Tails'. After a few moments, the two pulled apart and helped each other stand up, both needing the other's support as they looked around at the devastation caused by the freak storm.

Tails, Sonic, Blaze and Knuckles took in their surroundings, mortified at just how quickly their paradise had turned into a graveyard. Their once humble abode was now a mess of broken planks of wood jutting out from the sand, sharp splinters protruding from the pile like the wreck of a ship at the bottom of the ocean.

Their farm that they worked so hard to create and cultivate from the seeds of plants and trees that they found in minimal amounts on the island completely destroyed. A large, thick post that was previously stuck into the sand with the fishing net attached to it lay over top of the farmed soil and budding crops, burying them underneath. The hoe lay to the side, broken clean in two. The spears that they had created for the fish were nowhere to be seen, presumably washed away by the crashing waves that pelted the island severely, eroding away a lot of the sand with them.

"Everything… everything we built here…" Knuckles breathed slowly.

"It's all gone," Sonic completed his thought in a depressed tone.

"We can rebuild, right?" Tails asked in complete shock.

"It took us three months to make everything… and now it's all gone and we are worse off than we were that night," Knuckles replied, staring at the two, unable to bury down the thought that none of this would have ever happened if it wasn't for the two of them.

"Knuckles, everything is going to be okay," Sonic reassured him.

"Is it?" Knuckles raised his voice. "Look around. Everything is fucked! And it's all your fault."

"Whoa, Knuckles don't blame him," Tails defended the hedgehog.

"Don't think it's not your fault too," he shifted the blame. "If it wasn't for you two we wouldn't even be here in the first place."

"Knux, bro, that's not cool!"

"Yeah, we didn't ask you to help us."

"You didn't really give us a choice did you? We weren't going to just let them kill you. But now we are stuck on an island, with no food, water or shelter and without family or any of our old friends. Right Blaze?" Knuckles turned to her but she didn't make any motion. "Blaze…?"

Tails, Knuckles and Sonic all looked towards her in confusion, watching her stand frozen like a statue, her eyes cast of into the distance.

"Blaze?" Sonic asked, waving his hand in front of her face but still she didn't budge.

"Are you okay?" Tails asked, grabbing her hand for comfort.

"It's gone…" she whispered, still not shifting her position at all, her mouth the only part of her that moved.

"What's gone?" Knuckles asked but stopped himself when he saw where exactly she was looking. "Oh…"

"Blaze… I'm sorry…" Tails whispered. Suddenly, without warning, Blaze exploded in a fit of anger and fury.

"You're sorry are you?! That's all you get? Do you know how much shit Knuckles and I sacrificed for you and all we get is a sorry and a thank you? I know you didn't mean to but you ruined out lives. We can never see our families again… our friends… everyone," Blaze shouted, fuelled by all her pent up anger and depression that bubbled around inside of her.

"Blaze… come on, don't be like this," Sonic tried to defuse the situation. Slowly, Tails realized why Blaze was acting like this. He looked off to where he was staring to notice a small indent where a small tombstone used to be. Only now there was a pile of stone and rubble surrounding the area with the majority of the tablet washed off by the crashing waves.

"Blaze… I know you're sad but think what Silver would have wanted. He-"

"Don't _ever_ tell me what he would have wanted," Blaze interrupted Tails harshly, a fire alight in her eyes. She was beginning to lose control, completely overwhelmed by all of the heartache that she had been burying down inside of her throughout the past three months. All her emotions were finally erupting out from within her like a dormant volcano that has become active.

"Blaze… please…"

"Come on Knuckles… let's go," Blaze announced spitefully, just needing to get away from the hedgehog and fox. She held out her hand, waiting until she felt the familiar grip as Knuckles stood up next to her.

"Where are you going to go?" Sonic asked, sadness evident in his voice.

"We'll find a place on the island to live by ourselves… alone," she declared.

"Knuckles…?" A voice called out, causing all of the four teenagers to suddenly freeze.

"Sonic? Tails? Blaze?" the voice called out confused, slightly disorienting in tone. The four turned their heads and their mouths fell open. Knuckles quickly tore his grip out of Blaze's hand and took a few steps away, not knowing what to do.

There, standing up from the beach with a hand on her head, was Tikal the Echidna…

* * *

 _A/N: Welp... looks like Tikal, the echidna that a lot of my readers hate has wormed her way back into the limelight, but why is she here, how did she find them and what is she going to do?_

 _Looks like Blaze and Knuckles haven't forgotten about what happened to them. Although Sonic and Tails didn't mean to drag their friends into their mess, it is true that Blaze and Knuckles both sacrificed their families, lives and friends to help the duo and of course they can't push the underlying resentments away no matter how hard they try. All it took was a tragedy to bring these feelings to the forefront and finally be examined. If only Tikal didn't wash up on the shore, the four might have gone seperate ways. Also I just want to say a big thanks to all the people reviewing, it means so much and I love reading all of your reviews. I'm glad you are liking the story, and I'm glad that Blaze is more likable this story xD Please don't forget to leave another review for this chapter, it means a lot :) And... as always, thanks for reading._

 _Next Time on Sontails: War of Faith - Chapter 4: Tikal_


	4. Chapter 4: Tikal

_A/N: Hey guys, I hope you have been enjoying this story so far and like the direction it has been heading. But we've spent most of the story in the tropical island setting with our main four characters. I think it's just about time to see what actually happened after they left, when Wave attacked and Vector siezed power. Wouldn't it be great if we could get it through the eyes of a secondary character from the first story? If the answer is yes, then you will love this chapter :P_

* * *

Chapter 4

Tikal

"T-Tikal…?" Knuckles gasped, his mouth agape.

"Stay back," Sonic hissed, his instincts taking over as he stood in front of both Tails and Blaze, keeping them away from the echidna who ruined all of their lives by ousting Sonic and Tails' secret after discovering the journal in Sonic's bag.

"Wh-where am I?" Tikal asked, still quite discombobulated and disoriented.

"Don't answer that," Tails piped up. "It's just a trick. She is gonna tell the others where we are," he warned.

"No, that's not it at all," Tikal replied swiftly.

"Then how did you find us here?" Knuckles asked accusingly, stepping up next to Sonic after he shook himself out of his frozen state, standing between the echidna and Blaze.

"Knuckles… come on… it's me," she said, shooting him her signature puppy dog eyes that he could never resist and often melted under.

"He asked you a question," Sonic stepped in. "You've got five minutes so start talking!"

"Well… it's sort of a long story," Tikal reasoned with them.

"Time's ticking down," Sonic tapped his wrist.

"Okay, okay… well it all started about two months after the war broke out…" she began, addressing Sonic.

…

 _None of us expected it. you were still the talk of the town. Vector and Shadow especially were still quite bitter about the escape and people started turning on Blaze and Knuckles' parents, blaming them for the help that their kids gave you two in escaping. After a couple days, things started going back to normal, albeit some students and adults still had their hang-ups on the whole ordeal. We removed Big's body from the park and had a town burial for him, sending him up to Chaos._

 _That was when it happened. Suddenly, from the north, a large army led by Wave, whom we didn't know at the time, started marching down on a war path. Normally we would turn to Big, but since he was dead we were all running around like headless chickens. It didn't take long for us to realize why they were attacking, since we did find the dead bodies of a green hawk and silver albatross next to Big's corpse, and why this crazed bird was leading them but none of us had any experience. We all blamed you guys for the invasion and when we tried to form together a force to fend off Wave, we placed Knuckles and Blaze's parents on the front line…_

 _…_

"W-wait…" Blaze interrupted, tears welling in her eyes as she stepped in front of Sonic to look at Tikal. "Are you saying me that my parents…" Tikal nodded solemnly, not answering as Blaze burst out into tears. She ran over to bury her face into Knuckles chest who wrapped his arm around her protectively. Tikal raised an eyebrow at the motion, but disregarded it due to the situation.

"Continue," Sonic stepped in again, trying something to take Blaze and Knuckles' minds off of their parents. "You've got four minutes left."

…

 _All seemed lost. It seemed like we would be overrun and killed off by Wave, but that was when Vector stepped up and took charge. Nobody knew he had it in him, but he seemed to be somewhat of a tactical genius. He helped organize all of us, plan strategies to fend off Wave and eventually, thanks to his surprise leadership, he managed to push them back all the way to the forest._

 _He decided that he needed some trusted generals in his new army and turned to a couple people that he knew hated you two as much as he did. Shadow wasn't a stranger to Vector before the whole ordeal, but during that night when you guys all fled, they became closer and Vector offered him a high position. People complained about how a sixteen-year-old was in such a high position but Vector put them in their place. He introduced Vector to Amy, telling him about what she did and he gave her a position as well. That's also when I first met Vector officially…_

 _A couple months passed and history seemed to be repeating itself, but with a crocodile rather than a cat leading the charge. Vector took up residence in that old, dilapidated castle down south that Large constructed back in the original war. Together, we pushed Aves back to their boarders and started on an attack force. Meanwhile, Vector also started sending people out in boats on search missions. Shadow and him had this theory that you guys must have survived and found a place to live and neither one has given up on one day finding you to make you pay._

 _As time went on, I started to feel more and more unsure of myself. Back at the party, when I first found that diary, my natural instincts kicked in and everything about you guys disgusted me. Since then I've done some reflection, mainly thinking about what Knuckles had said to me… and I started to see things slightly differently. It didn't help my thoughts that we had so many deaths and were in the middle of a massive war just because of a couple people's sexuality. Why would Chaos want this? It seemed more like an act of Iblis…_

 _However, the turning point came for me when I was sent to help Shadow at the front lines with Mighty the armadillo. We were walking through the forest when we heard something which sounded like talking._

 _"_ _You hear that?" he turned to me. I nodded._

 _"_ _I think it came from over that way," I replied, pointing behind me._

 _"_ _Do you think it could be Aves?" he whispered, lowering the volume of his voice as the severity of the situation dawned upon us. It was just him and me, two sixteen year olds alone in the middle of the forest, but people surprisingly high up in our little army._

 _"_ _I'll go this way, you go that way," he said in an alarmed tone, making sure to keep his voice as quiet as possible. "Signal if you see or hear anything else." With that, he swiftly raced off in the other direction, making almost no noise compared to the speed at which he was running through the trees and shrubs._

 _I turned, heading off in my direction, trying my hardest to keep quiet but the loud sounds of leaves crunching under the soles of my feet would have given away my location to anybody who was watching me. Yet… nobody came and nothing happened. I was confused, but I kept searching around. That's when I stumbled upon a small, hidden little log cabbing constructed between a couple of trees. I gasped, wondering how I didn't see it sooner._

 _I exercised caution as I tiptoed closer to the house and around the side, making sure to make as little noise as possible, before making my over to one of the small square windows situated on either side. I steeled my nerves, taking a deep breath as I peeked inside and saw…_

 _…_

"Tikal, I don't need to hear the freaking play by play," Sonic interrupted her, getting fed up by the echidna. "Stop stalling and speak."

"Geeze, sorry for trying to set up some atmosphere," she pouted. Sonic and Tails both glared back angrily at her and the echidna shied away slightly.

"Sorry if we are not in the mood," Tails began coldly. "We were just trying to repair the lives we were forced to make for ourselves after you ruined our old ones." Tikal stared, stunned at his words before looking down at her shoes, mumbling something inaudible.

"What was that?" Sonic asked.

"…sorry about that…"

"Sorry about that?! That's all you have to say after-" Sonic began to raise his voice but he felt a hand on his arm, pushing it down. Sonic stopped and turned to look at Blaze, the light shimmering off the remainder of the tears.

"Sonic… she's not worth it," Blaze stated coldly. Guilt washed over Tikal as pain and regret flooded her eyes.

"You still never got to why you're here?" Knuckles asked, trying to defuse the tension that was slowly becoming heavier and thicker.

"O-Okay… thanks Knuckles…" Tikal smiled slightly. Blaze turned her head to glare at Blaze but he didn't look at her, opting to focus on the echidna instead which only further angered the violet feline. "So I peeked my head over the window sill…"

…

 _That's when I saw them. No, it wasn't an Aves assassin like we both feared but two young girls huddled in fear in the single room. I tapped on the window with my fingers, gaining their attention and they instantly shied away, dashing behind a couch in hopes that I didn't see them._

 _"_ _Hello?" I called out. "I won't hurt you, I promise." Eventually after a couple minutes of trying to talk to them through the glass, I heard the distinct clanging of a metal chain before the door to the cabin slowly creaked open._

 _"_ _Come in quickly, one of Shadow's commanders is lurking in this forest," the girl whispered towards me. I quickly hurried over to her and was pulled inside by my shirt, the door slamming closed behind me. As my eyes adjusted to the dimly lit light in the cabin, I realized that I knew the two girls. Both of whom were in a couple of my classes back at school._

 _Basically, I was talking to them and they were telling me how scared they were of Vector and his rule. I opened up to them about my grievances with him and how I wasn't quite sure about what we were all doing either and, eventually, one of them mentioned how they were both together and hiding from the masses of fear of being lynched like Scourge and Manic were earlier this year or how they drove you guys out of town._

 _But… I didn't mind. I didn't act weird about it… it just all seemed… okay. Like, when I found out about you two I had this feeling deep inside of disgust and truly felt with my entire being that it was wrong but after everything that has happened I couldn't help but empathize with them. Weird right?_

 _They helped me understand the truth. They showed me a different way to perceive the world. I could see that they were in love, and it wasn't a bad thing. It was beautiful in a way. It wasn't any different to the way I used to feel about Knuckles. They helped me see that Mobianity wasn't about discrimination, about belittling others based on sexual preference but instead it's about love and acceptance._

 _Anyway, after that I knew I had to help them. I offered to take them towards the beach and try to scrape together a boat for them with my connections with Vector, making up some excuse about going out to search for you._

 _Some time passed and the three of us made it to one of the boat sheds near the same beach that we chased you to that fateful night and I managed to acquire a boat. As we prepared for the trip and got some supplies together, Amy Rose stumbled upon us and began to ask what we were doing._

 _To keep a long story short, I tried to act casually towards her but she knew something was fishy because of the two girls I was with. She kept asking questions and… it just kinda slipped out. I didn't mean to say it and I don't know why I said it… I broke their trust and I'm the reason that they are now…_

 _Well Amy over-reacted and pull out a gun, shooting both girls on the spot. She turned to be, her chest heaving with anger as she stared deep into me._

 _"_ _You were helping them escape willingly?!" she screamed at me._

 _"_ _Amy… c'mon, you know that this is the wrong thing to do. Big filled your head with these false illusions and Vector has only amplified the situation to unbelievable heights. This is getting ridiculous; would Chaos really want this?" I tried to reason with her._

 _"Ibl_ _is' lies have gotten to you!" she spat back._

 _"_ _Amy… all this bloodshed, all this anger, all this war… this isn't what Chaos would want. This is the actions of Iblis brought upon by the actions of a power mad, disillusioned man bent on killing two of our best friends!"_

 _"_ _You've been tainted. You're just as bad as them… as all of them!" I knew I couldn't reason with her and I knew that she was so close to pulling that trigger. I thought quickly, kicking up a cloud of sand at her. The granules stung her eyes and she stumbled backwards in pain, shrieking as she tried to rub the sand out of her eyes so that she could see. I took this opportunity to seize the gun from her._

 _"_ _What are you going to do? Shoot me?!" Amy growled at me, spite and hate infecting her words._

 _"_ _No… I'm done with violence. This needs to end, now and I know some people who can help," I replied before turning around and diving in the boat, paddling away._

 _"_ _They are all dead, and soon you will be too!" She called out after me but I didn't look back. I just kept paddling out into the vast abyss of the ocean, hoping beyond hope that I could find something, anything that was better than Mobius. Unfortunately, or maybe it was an act of Chaos, that massive storm picked up and a gigantic wave crashed over the top of me and my boat and the next thing I knew, I was lying face down on the beach and looked up to see you guys…_

 _…_

"And you really expect us to believe you?" Sonic asked, still sceptical about her whole story. "How do we know it isn't a lie?" Tikal didn't say anything, just looking at the four of them. She looked at Sonic, his cold, unwavering eyes staring at hers as if he was challenging her. She shifted her sight to the golden fox standing next to her, his calculating eyes feeling like they were looking right through her, trying to solve some unseen problem about her story. She looked over to Blaze, who was still standing behind the red echidna, her eyes devoid of any emotion as she stared blankly at Tikal like she was a ghastly apparition.

"Kn-knuckles?" Tikal asked as she stared deep into his eyes. He looked back, his eyes shimmering with doubt, pain and conflict.

"Last time we gave you a chance, you ruined all of our lives…" Knuckles finally breathed.

"I don't think we can trust you," Tails added solemnly.

"But I need you… Mobius needs you-"

"Don't," Blaze interrupted coldly. "Just don't. You've caused too much pain and damage already."

"Okay… I'll just leave then," Tikal sighed as she gave Knuckles one last pleading look. "Goodbye," she said before she turned and began to walk away, her gaze fixed on the sandy beach below her feet.

"Wait…" Knuckles caused out, a wave of hope washing over Tikal as she turned her head.

"Knuckles…?" Blaze, Sonic and Tails all asked, looking to him. His emotions collided together, waging a war inside of him. The inner turmoil he felt was evident to his companions by the look on his face. "I… I believe her!"

"You do?" they all replied in unison.

"You do!" Tikal gasped happily.

"I do… I don't know why guys, but I think we should trust her. The whole story could be fabricated but does it matter? If she was sent here to find us, surely she would have been accompanied by others. If she came to kill us, she would have done it while we were arguing."

"But Knuckles-" Blaze argued but he silenced her.

"She knows how to get back and came here in a boat. She can take us back to Mobius… we don't really have a way to live here anymore…"

"But Knuckles-" Blaze protested again.

"I agree," Tails suddenly spoke up, once again interrupting the frustrated purple feline. "I still don't trust her, but Knuckles makes a good point. I think it is time to go back. Besides, if what she says is true, Wave could use all the help she can get."

"Well, if Knux and Tails think it's a good idea, then who am I to argue," Sonic smirked. "Besides, somebody has to take dad down and that somebody should be me."

"But-" Blaze tried again but all three pairs of eyes suddenly turned on her. She gulped before crossing her arms over her chest. "Fine." Knuckles smiled, ushering the ecstatic echidna over to the group.

"Well, it's settled then. So Tikal, where is the boat?"

"Well… about that…"

* * *

 _A/N: And thus, they decided to return to Mobius and see for themselves what has really happened to their once loved community. But, there is one issue that is standing in their way... what is that? Well, you'll just have to find out next chapter :P Thanks for reading and I really hope you guys are enjoying this story so far. How do you feel about the re-introduction of one of the most hated characters from DCT? Are you happy she is getting a bigger role or just want her to die already? And do you believe her or do you think she is just lying through her teeth and is leading Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Blaze into a trap? Leave a review to let me know your thoughts and as always, I hope you enjoyed._

Next time on Sontails: War of Faith - Chapter 5: Goodbye Paradise


	5. Chapter 5: Goodbye Paradise

_A/N: Sorry that it has been so long since my last update but as I've said before I will need to diverge from the schedule for the time being. I have many assignments due this week and exam period is coming up so I'll have to spend the time I'm not working my 2 jobs studying for exams so up until about the 15th of November, updates will be sparse. As a result I'm just going to publish when I finish a chapter rather than adhere to a timeframe. Thanks for understanding and reading and I hope you enjoy the new chapter :)_

* * *

Chapter 5

Goodbye Paradise

"Knuckles, what the hell was that?" Blaze glared angrily at him as she spoke in a hushed whisper, yet the anger was quite evident in her words.

"We couldn't have just left her," he shrugged as he stood toe to toe with the violet feline. The two individuals had walked off into the forest, using the excuse of going to find something that they could bring on the trip back to Mobius.

"What, so you are just going to trust her like that?" Blaze huffed, flaring her nostrils at the echidna. "You do remember that this is the same girl that spilt the secret and caused all of us to flee our home and come to this Chaos-forsaken island."

"Hey, don't blame that all on Tikal. Yes, she did a horrible thing but didn't you hear the story. She has changed Blaze, and I think Tikal deserves a second chance to prove herself."

"I don't have a good feeling about this at all," she retaliated.

"When you found out about Sonic and Tails, you originally hated them, yes? Well, you gave them a second chance despite what your gut told you so why is Tikal different?" Knuckles tried to defend the female echidna who the duo left on the beach not moments earlier. The brushed past the thick understory, dodging the fallen trunks and logs that had collapsed due to the immense winds of the storm. Finding wood to fashion a raft would not be as much of a grueling task as either of them had previously anticipated.

"That was a totally different situation!" she yelled, throwing her hands up in the air to emphasize her infuriation of his accusations. The leaves that still stayed fastened to the thin limbs of the trees rustled in the wind around them as the two continued to argue. "Why are you defending her all of a sudden? You've spoken about how horrible she was for the past three months to the point that Tails, Sonic and I had bets going about how many times you would bring her up when we were all sitting and talking together."

"Wait, what? No, never mind, we'll talk about that little bet at a later time," he breathed, pushing the nugget of information to the far spaces of his mind for the time being to focus on the worked up cat. "But I just think that she's telling the truth. I don't know why; I can't explain it…" he trailed off.

"Oh, I see how it is," she narrowed her eyes, speaking in an envious voice. Knuckles tilted his head, furrowing his brows in confusion as he glanced at her, giving her a look that urged her to explain what she meant. "You still have feelings for her, don't you!"

Knuckles remained silent.

"Knuckles…" she said slowly, wanting some sort of response, anything to put her fears at ease. She wanted him to tell her she was wrong, like her thoughts were misguided.

"Come on, we need to get some logs to take back to the beach," he sidestepped around the question, as he began to walk off, picking up some logs in his muscly arms as he went.

"Knuckles! It's true isn't it? You love her, don't you!" She rushed up to him, grabbing his arm to twirl him around so that they were face to face.

"Blaze," he said simply, placing the palm of his hand on her cheek, awkwardly fumbling with the logs underneath his other arm as he did so. "You're my girlfriend. You are the one I like, and Tikal suddenly showing up isn't going to change that," he said sincerely, staring deep into her accusing, amber eyes that softened under his surprisingly tender touch.

"Okay, but I just need to know. Do you still have feelings for Tikal?" She asked again.

"Let's get back to the others, we can grab some more logs on the way," he replied, bending over to scoop up another log before taking off towards the beach, a resigned cat following behind him unsatisfied.

…

"So you're saying that the boat capsized during the storm and so it's probably at the bottom of the ocean?" Sonic repeated, trying to make sure he understood their situation as Tails, Tikal and himself continued to come up with a plan on the beach whilst Blaze and Knuckles made their way off into the forest. Tails turned back to watch the two, noticing Blaze's clenched fists and the way her shoes stomped forcefully on the sand underfoot, assuming she was quite angry with the whole situation.

"Yeah, basically. I managed to grab this robe as I fell off, but didn't get anything else when I went overboard," she explained as she pointed to the rope that was tied tightly around her waist.

"Figures," Tails muttered to himself under his breath, still not believing anything the echidna said. Sonic quickly nudged his elbow into Tails who jumped with a start, moaning as he rubbed his side.

"Um… anyway, when the others come back we can use this rope and the rope that you guys still have to make some sort of raft and sail back. The seas should be a bit calmer after the storm so hopefully it will be smooth sailing," she planned, smiling at the sapphire hedgehog who smiled back, showing her the curtesy that he still wasn't sure she deserved. Despite his conflicted feelings about the echidna, he decided to openly show support towards her to alleviate any lingering tensions.

"Sure, whatever," Tails pouted, folding his arms over until her felt a quick pain in his foot. He turned to see Sonic subtly pressing his heel into the fox's foot, glaring angrily at him from the side. "Ow!" Tails moaned loudly, glaring back at the hedgehog.

"Uh… guys… is everything okay?" Tikal asked, shooting a confused glance towards the two boys.

"Yeah, we are fine. I just need to talk to Tails for a second," he assured her as he gripped Tails' wrist tightly, pulling him off to the side.

"Okay, should I do anything to help in the meantime?" Tikal offered.

"Could you look through the wreckage of our old treehouse to see if there are any pieces of wood still intact or something else we could use?" Tikal nodded, prodding off to the scene whilst Sonic pulled the annoyed kit behind him until they he was sure they were out of the echidna's earshot.

"What is your problem?" Sonic suddenly cursed the fox."

"My problem? What's your problem," Tails retorted in a frustrated tone. "How can you just forgive that heathen so quickly?!"

"Okay not sure what a heathen is…" Sonic began. "But despite your reservations about her, she has been quite helpful and we need her knowledge and connections with Shadow, Amy and Vector to be able to pull this off and stop this war," Sonic continued.

"After all she did! She used the diary… my diary and showed everybody. That was my present to you, a physical embodiment of my feelings and love for you and she stomped all over it and ruined our lives," Tails sniffed, tears welling in his eyes as he stared at the hedgehog that he still couldn't believe was defending the echidna.

"Tails…" Sonic began cupping the fox's face in his hands as he slowly rubbed his cheek with his thumb. He grabbed Tails' hand in his free once, interlocking their fingers as he squeezed it and stared deep into his eyes, azure meeting emerald. "I know what she did was unforgivable, but if we want to be able to live freely and happily again, we need to trust her and we need her help."

"But-"

"I know, but I need you to be strong for me, like you were back when you tricked Big. Just pretend that you can tolerate her until this is all over. Then we never have to see her again. Can you do that for me, please?"

"But every time I look at her I can't help but think about all the horrible things she said… the things she did…"

"Tails, please… for me?"

"O-Okay Sonic… until this is all over," he decided, wrapping his arms over Sonic's bag as he felt the hedgehog pull his body closer to his own.

"Thanks buddy," Sonic whispered silently into Tails' ear. "I know I can always count on you."

"Always and forever… I love you."

"Always and forever…"

…

"Hmmm, Tikal you say?" Vector spoke gruffly, deep in thought as he contemplated his next move. "Thanks for your report. You may leave now," he commanded, pointing towards the large door.

"Why can I not go and try to-" Amy began but was silenced as Vector slammed his fist on the armrest of his cold, metal throne.

"I said leave."

"Yes, Lord Vector," she nodded before walking out of the room, cursing his name under her breath as she left. Vector waited until she had left the room before he let out a sigh.

"So," he began to himself, rising off of the throne and walking through a small, wooden door at the other end of the room. "Tikal has left has she. Shadow is playing a dangerous game giving too much power to his commanders. I didn't make him general to screw everything up!" Vector cursed under his breath. He took a deep breath as he input a code into a small little keypad before a ding chimed through the room and a door slid open. Vector descended a stone, spiral staircase before emerging into a small, darkened room. He stretched out his hand, running it along the stone wall before flicking on a light switch.

Slowly, the incessant buzzing of the lights above began to drone monotonously as they illuminated the room and its insides were visible, making Vector smile maliciously as he began to get to work.

"No worries, I'll just need to accelerate my plans…"

…

The stars twinkled brightly in the sky, shining down on the five teenagers who all sat on the soft, golden sand around the burning fire. The obedient flame flickered in the cool, night breeze the blew across the beach, blackening the wood and transforming it into charcoal. The red hues of the fire mixed with yellow and orange to combine into an unstoppable force, never satiated and on the verge of consuming all its surroundings if given the chance. The flames cast light upon the teenagers, providing the only light source as it illuminated the group, casting darkened shadows across the water, sand and forest which contorted into terrifying shapes that contorted and shifted as the flames flickered brighter and more ferociously. The glowing embers leapt and danced, twirling in the air that carried them along until they settled on the sand, their light dissipating. The grey smoke billowed up into the sky, casting a small, thin blanket above them all as they stared into its center, mesmerized by the beautiful simplicity of the fire. Sonic grabbed another piece of splintered wood and chucked it into the center of the fire, watching it combust immediately as it went up in flames. It licked the wood like a hungry beast stalking its prey, intent on consuming it whole to adhere to its cravings for more fuel.

"This all seems so familiar," Sonic finally spoke up after the deafening silence that had descended upon the group since the previous fights had grown too much for the hedgehog.

"It was only yesterday that the four of us were sitting around the fire, laughing and having fun without a care in the world," Tails lamented, making sure to shoot an angry glare at Tikal when he emphasized that there was only four of them. Tikal drooped her head, a feeling of guilt and shame washing through her. Knuckles noticed this and shot Tails a look of his own.

"Yeah, it really was a paradise when the four of us were here after getting thrown out by all those we _thought_ were our friends," Blaze agreed, nodding towards Tails to show him she understood how he felt.

"But it was the _storm_ that ruined all that for us," Knuckles spoke up, making sure to extend and announce the word 'storm'. "But it was a force of nature we couldn't control and we have to adapt. Luckily Tikal came to fill us in on what the situation is and we now have a plan," he smiled at her. Blaze stared at him, furrowing her eyebrows in anger.

"Th-thanks Knuckles…" Tikal whispered sheepishly as she stared into the addicting flames.

"yeah…" Tails began.

"Whatever…" Blaze finished for him. Knuckles shot a look towards Sonic, who seemed to be staring deep into the flames absentmindedly, like his mind wasn't with his body as he was lost in thought.

"Well, we have a plan, and together we are gonna make it back to Mobius and stop this stupid war, right?" he spoke up, glancing over to the poorly constructed, small raft that was simply a group of logs placed together in a rectangle and fastened together with two strands of rope. He stood up and leant over the fire, extending his hand out so that it was directly above it. The smoke parted around his arm as he looked around. "We can do this together, as a team."

"Okay Knuckles, I'm with you," Blaze smiled, his determination filling her with admiration as she glanced one last time towards the spot where the tombstone of Silver the Hedgehog used to stand before standing and placing her palm over his.

"We can do this, together," Tails stated proudly. "Let's prove to them that we shouldn't be hated," he concluded as he put his palm on top of the others.

"Tikal?" Knuckles asked, turning towards her. She looked up at the three, frowns on Tails and Blaze's face as Knuckles urged her over. Reluctantly, she stood and placed her hand with theirs, feeling their angered stares burn deep into her, more intense than the flames underneath her hand.

"Sonic, you in?" Tails asked, turning to him.

"Yeah, you with us?" Blaze chimed in.

"We can't do it without you," Knuckles added as they all stared at him.

"We can take down Vector and stop this war before it get out of hand, but only with your help," Tikal reminded him.

Sonic glanced around and the four faces, all peering at him. Despite how much he enjoyed the peace and happiness of the island, the claustrophobia of its confines had been getting to him recently. Nowhere to run. Nowhere to truly feel at one with nature. After the idea of returning back to his home had been planted in his mind like a seed by Tikal, it had begun to sprout and was now consuming his every thought. He wanted to go home, to have things go back to the way things were before the town had turned against him. And he knew that he could achieve this if he helped put an end to the war. If he killed Vector… his father.

"Let's do it," Sonic said finally, standing up and placing his hand on top of the others. "Tomorrow morning, we leave paradise and return to Mobius!"

* * *

 _A/N: You didn't think you would have read 300 words talking about a fire today did you? Well, now you have so... that's something I guess. And what did Vector mean about accelerating his plans?_

 _It looks like we have even more splits between our group of heros, especially with the inclusion of Tikal into the mix to spice things up. First we have Blaze and Knuckles split with Tails and Sonic due to pent up anger that they blame the two of them. Then we have Tails and Blaze split with Tikal due to what she had done, niether of them trusting her story or motives. Then we have Blaze split with Knuckles and Sonic split with Tails, all because of Tikal. With all of these cracks forming between the four heroes, and Tikal, can they truly be able to stop the war when they can't even stop the war that's slowly building between themselves? Please don't forget to leave a review to let me know what you thought of the chapter and some theories about what will happen between the five of our main characters when they finally make it to Mobius_

 _Question of the Day: Whose side are you on? Who do you feel most sympathy for in all of these little fights. Team Tails? Team Sonic? Team Blaze or Team Knuckles? Or perhaps Team Tikal? Please let me know in a review and as always, thanks for reading._

Next time on Sontails: War of Faith - Chapter 6: Leviathan


	6. Chapter 6: Leviathan

_A/N: Hey guys, once again I want to prefice this with another apology but you all knew that updates would be few and far between during this exam period that I am currently going through. But I managed to get this chapter out, so that's something. However, there is another, more exciting reason for why this took slightly longer than usual but I don't want to spoil the surprise so make sure to read the A/N at the end of this chapter to read about my big announcement. Until then, enjoy the chapter :)_

* * *

Chapter 6

Leviathan

The sun was just peeking over the horizon, the trees and bushes that had been drowned in darkness the night before ready to lap up the incoming rays of encroaching light. Sonic raised his head, yawning loudly as he stretched his limbs and smacked his lips together. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes before scanning the scene in front of him. The embers still glowed faintly underneath the charcoal in the middle. He looked around the small group, his eyes passing over Tails, Blaze, Knuckles and then Tikal who all still lay asleep on the sand around the fire. His muscles hurt, the uncomfortable sandy ground didn't prove to be as comfortable as first thought the night before.

'Today's the day,' he thought as he twisted his head to look at the poorly fabricated mess of different sized logs tied haphazardly together with rope on either size that they called a raft. Sonic wondered if it would even float, let alone be enough to get them back to the mainland but his concerns were dispelled when he felt the body of the golden fox next to him riffle around.

"Sonic?" Tails whispered questioningly as he slowly began to sit up, rubbing the crusty sleep out of his eyes.

"Go back to sleep, buddy. It's only dawn and we're gonna need all the energy we can get," he said soothingly, running his hand through Tails' fur. Tails purred softly, nuzzling in closer to the sapphire hedgehog.

"But Sonic," Tails replied seductively, moving his face slowly upwards so it was only inches away from Sonic's.

"Yeah?"

"The others are all asleep still," he whispered again into Sonic's ear, nibbling slightly on it. "This is the last time we will get an opportunity to be all alone for a while," he continued as Sonic started to get the idea.

"We've got about an hour until they wake up, don't we?" He winked, understanding what Tails was getting at. Sonic slowly closed the gap, closing his eyes and tilting his head as he pressed his lips against Tails'. He licked the fox's white teeth, waiting for entrance into his mouth which Tails hurriedly obliged, relishing in the feeling of Sonic's tongue against his own.

Meanwhile, just next to them Tikal quickly shut her eye. She was awoken by the quiet talking and quickly pretended to be asleep as not to disturb the two. The echidna shuddered, clenching her eyelids closed as tightly as possible to block out the image of what she had just witnessed. She kept trying to tell herself that she was okay with what was happening, that she wanted to help the two but it was still extremely hard for her when she saw it happening first hand.

"Sorry to break this up but no, we're not asleep," an intruding voice suddenly broke through the silence. Tikal chanced another glance as she slowly peeked her eyes open and saw Knuckles slowly sitting up. She breathed a sigh of relief, mentally thanking the echidna as she saw the two teenagers break apart, frowns on both their faces.

"Come on Knuckles, that wasn't nice," Blaze yawned as, she too, slowly sat up.

"Thanks Knuckles," Tikal smiled at him as she too sat up.

"Somebody had to say it," he joked, a wide, goofy grin plastered on his face. Sonic and Tails both backed up slightly from each other, crimson staining both of their muzzles from being caught by all three of their companions.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Blaze growled angrily at Tikal. "You think those two are still gross? What happened to a change of heart?"

"N-no, it's not like that. I meant-"

"You meant that it's against Chaos' will, didn't you?" Blaze spat.

"Blaze, it's not like that at all. It's just still a little hard for me to watch is all," Tikal tried to defend herself, but instead dug herself deeper in a whole as Tails felt a wave of anger smash into him, eroding away his outward nice façade towards the echidna that he had promised Sonic he would try to keep.

"Why is it hard to watch? Sonic and I had to deal with you and Knuckles sucking face all the Chaos' damn time back at school!" Tails yelled.

"Tails, not cool," Knuckles shook his head and jumped to the echidna's defence.

"Don't take the lords name in vain like that," Tikal snapped back, almost like an uncontrolled reaction.

"I thought you renounced Chaos," Blaze jumped at any opportunity to try to blow holes in Tikal's story. Anything to get Knuckles to stop defending her.

"I'm sure it was just a slip of the tongue," Knuckles assured the cat and fox, but to no avail.

"Oh sure, she can have a slip of the tongue but when I have one…"

"ENOUGH!" All four of the teenagers instantly ceased their arguments, clamping their mouths shut as they looked towards the angry cobalt hedgehog. His chest heaved heavily, nostrils flared as he glanced down on all four of them.

"What are you guys doing? We are supposed to all be friends, not at each other's throats! We are about to go and try to stop a war, guys. A freaking war! That is so out of our league but we are gonna try anyway because, whether we like it or not, we were the cause of it. All of our friends and family, along with a bunch of other innocent people are being killed because of things we did, no matter how misguided the reasons for others to fight are. How can we try to save everybody if we can't even stop the war between ourselves?"

An awkward silence descended upon the group like a fog, extinguishing the last small warm glows of the embers. They all shifted uncomfortably on the sand, the weight of Sonic's outburst weighing heavily on them all.

"Sorry," Tails mumbled, rubbing his arm as he looked over towards Knuckles and Tikal.

"Yeah, sorry man," Knuckles added.

"I apologize for causing any strain between you guys, I just wanted to help," Tikal added. Slowly, all pairs of eyes shifted towards Blaze who still wore a scowl on her face, staring at Tikal. This echidna is not only trying to steal her new boyfriend, but also her friends and make her seem like the enemy. Blaze couldn't find it in herself to forgive Tikal, not even in the slightest, but she knew that not saying anything would only lead to more disturbances.

"Yeah, whatever, I'm sorry for getting mad too, Tikal," she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. Knuckles shook his head, but decided against speaking up. The peace, however temporary it would be, was enough to help clear all their heads and calm them down.

"Well, with that settled, let's get going. Back to Mobius!" Sonic announced.

…

The turquoise ocean around them stretched out as far as the eye could see, merging perfectly with the horizon and the azure sky above them. Gentle surging waves lapped against the rotting wood of their small raft, their curling fingers brushing over each splinter in the wood. The sunlight glinted and reflected off the smooth surface, the rays contorting like golden waves dancing through the warm afternoon air. The breeze glossed over the ways, causing small showers of white foam to spray over the teenagers like glass. The seagulls above their heads squawked, letting the wind brush their feathers as they glided along the horizon.

Tails looked beneath the waves, trying to study the sand underneath but the immeasurable depth of the water contorted the contents underneath. The shadows of fish swam around quickly underneath him, the constant surging of the water making the actual bodies of the fish illegible to the naked eye. The banality of the calm ocean seemed almost entertaining to Tails as his mind wandered to the mystery of what was lurking below them, just underneath the surface.

Sonic lay next to Tails, shielding his face from the sweltering heat with his hand. His smacked his lips, trying to stimulate silver to drench his dried-up tongue. The five teenagers had been drifting on the raft for the past day and a half and the small number of rations that they had acquired had all but diminished, leaving the ravenous group starving.

"I can't believe you dropped our last paddle," Blaze spoke up, picking her head up off Knuckles' chest and glancing at Tikal.

"C'mon Blaze, it wasn't her fault," Knuckles immediately chimed in to her defense like clockwork.

"Don't defend her. She was the one on paddling duty when she threw it overboard," Blaze raised an accusing finger.

"I told you, I fell asleep and it must have rolled off into the ocean," Tikal retorted.

"If you were feeling tired you should have woken one of us up and got us to take over. It was my turn next I would have gladly taken over your shift," Tails added, lifting his head up slightly.

"I tried but you told me that it wasn't your turn yet," Tikal complained, getting slightly frustrated that she was constantly being ganged up on by both Tails and Blaze.

"Guys, enough!" Sonic raised his voice, his suddenly violent movements rocking the rickety raft, adding further strain to the vines that strung the pieces of wood together. "I'm so sick of having to break this up. We can fight later but for now we need to stay united."

"Whatever," Blaze moaned as she closed her eyes and laid her head back on Knuckles' chest. Normally, she would be greeted with the soothing massage of his hand brushing the hair on the back of her head but no such comfort came this time as Knuckles' opted to let his hand rest in the water. He enjoyed the cooling sensation of the water on his wrist.

"Okay," Tails replied bitterly as he turned his attention back to the water. However, something seemed wrong. There was another, slightly larger shadow amongst the fish than there was before. But this one was different. It was growing steadily larger, as if there was a more grandiose creature hidden below the surge that was climbing towards the surface.

"Guys," Tails spoke up, a warning inflection in his voice.

"Not now Tails, we can't afford to keep fighting," Sonic interjected.

"No, it's not that," he replied, the fear evident in his voice. "I think everybody better hold onto something!"

"Wh-" Knuckles opened his mouth but suddenly a large, serpent like creature smashed through the surface of the water, leaping through the air. As it breached the surface, the water exploded as water rained down from them. The large waves left in its wake smashed the raft, causing it to tilt. Blaze was knocked by the force and went sliding head first into the water.

"Blaze!" Knuckles called out, searching the briny depths frantically for any sign of the cat. However, Sonic, Tails and Tikal all had other priorities on their mind. They all sat in awe, staring at the gigantic creature. The beast they were confronted with had a long, thin body covered in scales that curled up around itself. The end wasn't visible as its body disappeared into the depths. It opened its elongated mouth, showing the many rows of sharp, serrated teeth as it let out a gut-wrenching roar that shook the very waves themselves. Sets of white whiskers grew from its face and sets of webbed fins from further down it's body.

"Wh-what is that thing?" Sonic gasped.

"I think it's… the fabled leviathan," Tails breathed, a mixture of awe from seeing the same creature that he had read old tales about and fear swelled within him.

"You can marvel at it later; we need to get rid of it now!" Sonic bellowed. He turned to see Knuckles who had since grabbed the flailing hands of Blaze who was struggling around in the water. He grunted as he hurled her back up onto the raft, both of them panting heavily as Blaze spurted water out of her mouth and lungs.

"What are we going to do?" Blaze coughed as she looked towards Sonic. Sonic shrugged his shoulders, beads of sweat staining his brow as he tried to think of a plan. Before he could decide on an appropriate course of action, the leviathan growled again before it submerged itself under the water, hidden from the sun's rays.

"Where did it go?" Tikal asked.

"It's… it's underneath us!" Tails cried out as he saw the slithering shadow of the snake-like beast swim underneath the raft.

"Everybody grab ahold of the side of the raft and hold on!" Sonic shouted as he gripped the long, his fingers submerged in the water and knuckles growing white from the intensity that he was holding on. There were a few seconds of eerie silence, the only sounds being heard were their hearts beating fast inside of their chests until suddenly an ear-splitting crack rang out across the ocean.

Right across the middle of the raft, a large crack began to run through as the raft as it split in half, right down the middle. The beast sprang up from the shadows and flew through the air before plunging back into the depths nearby. Sonic and Blaze hung onto one end of their raft, the majority of their bodies submerged as the other three clung onto the other raft.

"Tails! Hang on!" Sonic called out as he let go of the splintered piece of wood that he clung to and started to swim over to the flailing, fearful fox. Tails eyes widened in fear as he saw the fin of the creature protrude the water, slicing the liquid as it started on a collision course with Sonic.

"Hurry Sonic!" He called out. Sonic looked behind him, noticing Blaze frantically trying to keep up with him as she swam behind him and not far behind her, the pointed fin.

"Blaze, swim faster," Knuckles commanded as he reached out his hand, fear coursing through his veins. Just moments before Sonic and Blaze reached the two, the creature submerged from the water again. However, this time one of the vines that sloshed through the water got caught, wrapping itself around the monster's tooth. The beast roared as it towered over the group, lifting its head further and further out of the water.

Sonic reached out and tried to grab Tails' hand whilst Blaze simultaneously did the same for Knuckles as Tikal just closed her eyes in fear, hugging the wood that supported her. Suddenly, the raft, along with Tails, Knuckles and Tikal was ripped out of the water. Sonic called out in agony as his hand barely missed Tails', their fingers only a hair apart before it came back down into water.

"Sonic! Blaze!" Knuckles and Tails called out as they felt themselves being flung through the air, tossed about by the serpent who violently thrashed its head about, trying to dislodge the vine from its tooth. The trio held on to the piece of wood for dear life, clenching their eyes shut tight as the begged for this torment to be over.

Blaze and Sonic treaded water, watching helplessly as the leviathan spun them around above its head. Suddenly, the force acting on the vine became too much and it snapped. Tails, Knuckles and Tikal screamed out in fear as they felt the wind carry them as they were sent flying across the ocean and over the horizon.

"Tails!" Sonic called out as he frantically began swimming in the direction that he saw his friends fly, knowing that any attempt he made would be hopeless. The leviathan, angered by the pain it received in its tooth, bellowed as it plunged back into the shallows. As it dived back down, deep into the murky depths below, it's large tail emerged from the water and followed the arched pattern of its body.

"Sonic!" Blaze called out frantically as she swam over to Sonic, grabbing his foot in an attempt to pull him back from the beast's trajectory but it was no use. All the pair could do was scream in pain as the tail smashed down onto the surface, and into the two teenagers, knocking Sonic out instantly.

The world around Blaze turned black as she passed out and began to sink. The slowly fell, down below the surface and into the mysterious, unwelcoming depths below… The last thing Blaze could see as her senses began to fade was a smaller shadowed figure coming towards her before her eyelids fell shut and her mind grew blank…

* * *

 _A/N: Well, there you have it. Are Sonic and Blaze dead in the water, drowned by the blunt force of the leviathan's tail. Are Knuckles, Tails and Tikal dead from the impact from being flung across the horizon? And what exactly is the leviathan and where did it come from? All these answers, and more next chapter. However, I think you all just want to know what my big announcement is. But first, the question of the day..._

 _QotD: What do you think about the seperation of Blaze and Sonic with Knuckles, Tails and Tikal? What could come of this? Are you sad that the group has been seperated so early? And do you think they all survived (I mean obviously Sonic and Tails did, but what of the other three)? And, are you excited for my big announcement?_

 _Okay, so basically, the reason why this chapter took extra long, apart from study, was because I have been working on a big chapter. It's similar to one that I did last story that was met with great success so I decided to do a second one. That's right, I'm officially announcing that this story will feature Sontails: The Musical 2! I've been spending some time planning what type of songs I want to write, which characters get to sing them and which songs they I will parody to get the right feel. So over the next few chapters Iwill be leaking more and more information as it becomes available but, for now, all I can tell you is that the musical chapter will feature 12 new songs and will be the 13th chapter of this story. So stay tuned and let me know if you're excited for this!_

Next time on Sontails: War of Faith - Chapter 7: Friend or Foe


	7. Chapter 7: Friend or Foe

_A/N: Sorry about the long wait. I just finished my end of year exams and am done for the year, hooray! This means that chapters will continue to come out more frequently, but problably not weekly as that time schedule was killing me and I value quality much more than quantity, as you probably all agree. I'm going on a week holiday though so wont even be able to start working on chapter 8 until the 20th at the earliest. Either way, I hope the wait was worth it. This chapter is the longest one yet so yay! Please enjoy :)_

* * *

Chapter 7

Friend of Foe

The waters were still, neither a breeze nor small wave the protruded out of the water to break the calming zaffre surface of the ocean. The sun shined down on the sea, mixing with the aqua hues in the tropical waters. Small schools of fish swam up to the surface, barely breaking free to lapse in the warming currents. Everything was quiet, still, until suddenly three high pitched shrieks broke the serenity of the scenery.

From the sky, above, four distinct shadows fell. Firstly, a long, thick shattered piece of wood with a small vine attached plummeted downwards, striking the water and plunging deep underneath the newly formed waves in its wake. Small splinters mixed in the air with water droplets and showered the ocean. The log was next followed by three bodies. Tails, Knuckles and Tikal all plummeted out of the sky, limbs flailing around as they desperately, and fruitlessly, tried to battle against the overwhelming might of gravity. Alas, it was no use as one by one they took the plunge into the water, their breathless lungs filling up quickly with water.

After a few moments, three small heads breached the surface, bobbing up and down in the water.

"Tikal, Tails, are you guys alright?" Knuckles coughed, spirting water out of his mouth like a hose.

"I'm good, I think I hurt my leg," Tails complained, feeling a stabbing pain coming from his leg. However, he didn't dare try to feel it or stop kicking for fear of drowning.

"You aren't bleeding, are you?" Tikal asked, fear evident in her voice. "I don't want to attract sharks."

"I'd much rather face a hoard of sharks than that… thing… again," Knuckles replied, heart still pumping from the frightening encounter they had just experienced with the gigantic sea serpent. "What even was that thing?"

"I think we have more pressing issues to deal with," Tails remarked worriedly as he noticed the piece of wood slowly float up to the surface. He swam over to the buoyant object and threw his arms over it, enjoying the break that his tired limbs were receiving. Tikal and Knuckles swam over to join him.

"This isn't big enough for us to climb on," Tikal said.

"At least it isn't sinking with our weight," Knuckles noted. "We can at least use it to rest."

"So you just want us to drift out in the middle of the ocean forever?"

"I don't think we will," Tails spoke up. Tikal and Knuckles looked at him, confused. Tails simply raised a hand, pointing to the faintest glint of land out on the horizon.

"Is that land?"

"Yes, and I think it must be high tide because we are drifting towards it," he remarked.

"So what, we just wait and let the ocean decide where it is going to spit us out?"

"Better than drowning…" Tails trailed off, the thought of a watery grave instantly made an image of the sapphire hedgehog flash into his body. Suddenly, he felt a hand placed gently on his shoulder.

"Hey, I'm sure they are both fine," Knuckles whispered, trying to cheer up the fox.

"But they are both still with that beast."

"Blaze and Sonic are tough. They'll be alright. We've been thought worse," Knuckles assured the fox. After the momentary conversation, silence again descended on the three teenagers as they rested on the log, awaiting the inevitability of drifting slowly towards the land and towards the mercy of what, or who, they wash up on shore to meet.

…

"Tails… Tails no. No… Tails!" Sonic screamed as he suddenly sat up with a jolt. He felt an immense pain shoot up his spine and smash into his head. Sonic groaned, clutching his head and wincing his eyes to deal with the pounding pain. His muscled ached, pulsating with each breath. He could feel the blood pumping through his arms. He shook his limbs, trying to dispel the feeling of pins and needles. He tried to stand, taking a few wobbly steps to steady his shaking knees. He could feel the cold, cemented, damp floor beneath him.

"Where am I?" He asked groggily, finally taking a moment to look at his surroundings. He gasped, finally adjusting to his surroundings. He could see that he was in a small, square room with three walls and an opening with vertical bars lining the gap, confining Sonic inside.

"You're finally awake," he heard a shaky, slightly scared voice speak up. Sonic turned, noticing the outline of a familiar feline sitting on a bench, her back slouched against the banal back wall. Sonic breathed a sigh of relief, completely forgetting about Blaze until she spoke up.

"Oh thank Chaos you're safe," Sonic sighed before he felt another intense jolt of pain in his forehead.

"You okay?" Blaze asked with concern as Sonic stumbled, falling to his knees.

"Yeah, yeah I'm good," he breathed as the pain subsided slightly. "Felt like I've been hit by a bus," he said, rubbing his muscles.

"Well, I mean, a giant sea monster is probably worse," he chuckled half-heartedly before ending with a sigh, not able to keep up the cheery façade in a place so devoid of hope and light.

"Where are we?"

"No idea, I only just woke up too. I thought you were dead, you scared me half to death," Blaze mentioned, her gaze still downtrodden. Her mannerisms, tone and body language all screamed of somebody who had already given up hope. Sonic noted this, remembering their encounter with the beast.

"Hey, hey come on," Sonic soothed, taking a seat on the bench next to her and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "They are going to be alright."

"How do you know? How do you know they aren't dead?" Blaze shook, tears escaping her eyes as her tough composure completely subsided.

"I can just feel it. I know Tails isn't dead, I know it in my gut. And I know that Knuckles isn't gone either," Sonic smiled. Blaze tried to return it, curving her lips slightly before she clenched her eyes tight and buried her face into Sonic's chest. He placed his arms around her back, squeezing her for comfort.

"I hope so," she sighed.

"You're awake? I thought that maybe you had both died," a snide, snarky voice called from behind the two. Sonic and Blaze instantly broke the embrace and looked over to see a teal squid twirling a set of keys around her finger. She smirked, her indigo eyes alight with pride as she looked at the two. "Thought Levi might have finished you off before I got to you."

"Levi?" Sonic asked, bewildered.

"You saved us?" Blaze queried, focused on the more important piece of information in the squid's sentence.

"Well, somebody had to. I was out on a raid, looking for advancing ships when I saw you guys on a raft. I knew it was only a matter of time for Levi to find you so I saved you Mobian Scum," she finished, spitting on the ground as if she wasn't proud of her decision.

"Why did you save us?" Blaze asked, trying to piece together the situation.

"I had to," she snarled reluctantly.

"But why?"

"Information."

"But we don't know anything."

"Don't worry, we have ways of making you talk. Vaposians have special ways," she grinned. Blaze and Sonic both froze, glancing at each other.

"Wait…" Blaze began.

"…We're in… Vapos?" Sonic finished, his mouth hanging agape. Abyss nodded before she turned her head to shout at somebody who was calling her in the distance. Abyss strode off, returning a few moments later with her new instructions.

"Boss wants to see you, so follow me," she instructed the two teenagers as she slid her key into the pad lock that was secured on the bars, opening the gated door. Sonic and Blaze shot each other hesitant glances but begrudgingly followed Abyss after she called them to follow for a second time.

"Where are we going?" Sonic asked after following the squid through the twists and turns of the dingy dungeon.

"I told you, to see the boss. He wants to have a… private, chat with you," she grinned as she led them up the stairs and opened the old, moldy wooden door and the light of Vapos shone down on them.

Sonic gasped, taking in his surroundings as he continued to follow in step with Abyss. The town looked the same as Mobius, with small, suburban houses and businesses that lined the streets, trees growing in the gardens and creatures out and about. Except, instead of cars driving on roads, there were boats sailing down the canals that crisscrossed throughout the town that was located on the shoreline of the continent. Sonic's gaze followed the watery lanes as they all funneled to one big river that discharged out into the ocean.

"This way," Abyss growled as she hopped into the water and began treading water, urging them to follow.

"Aren't there any pathways we can walk on?" Blaze asked, still not thrilled by being back in water so soon. Abyss groaned.

"Fine, I'll get a bloody boat," she sighed as she hailed over a small, motor boat. Sonic and Blaze stepped on, teetering as the boat rocked from side to side before sitting down. Abyss jumped in, eyes trained on them "No funny moves," she warned as she instructed the driver to take them to the main palace.

A few minutes later, the boat pulled up on a small jetty that lead into a large, domed area. The two followed Abyss as she led them through the heavily guarded entrance and up the large staircase of the building. A large fountain was situated in the middle, spurting out a constant flow of water, taking up most of the space in the main foyer. The dome above them, which seemed clear from the outside, actually had a secondary layer of glass on the inside in which a steady stream of water continuously flowed through.

The two continued to marvel at the architecture of the surroundings as they continued to march behind the squid who finally stopped outside a large, marble doorway.

"In you go," she commanded.

"Aren't you coming with us?" Blaze asked.

"What part of private meeting didn't you get?" She snorted at them, standing guard at the door. "Now hurry along, he doesn't like to be kept waiting."

Blaze and Sonic gulped down their fear, steeling their nerves as, together, they simultaneously pushed on the doors and entered the throne room. The room was a large, spherical room with a watery moat around the circumference acting as a perimeter. Two large, stone pillars stood on either side at opposite points, holding up a circular, stone waterway that let water flow around, dropping off in two waterfalls to continuously fill and cycle through the moat. Sonic and Blaze crossed the tiny, wooden bridge that crossed the gap and stepped onto the supported, glass circular platform in the middle of the room. Apart from a stone slab in the middle of the circle, there was no furniture of note except a large, lapis throne that towered above the two at the other end of the room.

"Come closer," a voice commanded.

The two cautiously approached the throne on the other end of the room, tiptoeing lightly, scared that a heavy foot could crack the fragile glass underneath them. Eventually, the two found themselves standing in front of a large, snarling shark who sat in front of them, growling slightly.

"Now," Razor, the leader of Vapos, began. "You have ten seconds to tell me why you are here and what are Big's plans before I kill you Mobian scum," he snarled, showing his many rows of sharp, serrated teeth as he pulled out a gun and trained it right at the two frightened teenagers.

…

Tails groaned, rubbing his eyes as he craned up his neck. The sudden shift in light levels aroused him from his slumber and he opened his eyes. He noticed that the top half of his body was still clinging to the piece of sturdy debris, arms draped over it so that his fingers were submerged on the other side, along with his feet. He looked over to his two companions where were still fast asleep next to him when he noticed something. It was dark, but not because it was night, but because something above them was blocking out the sunlight.

Tails looked around, marveling at the new, foreign surroundings that he found himself in. He had never seen anything like it before and couldn't imagine it in his wildest dreams. It was so much different to the Mobian shoreline of the beach that he had been living for the past couple of months. It was so beautiful, so majestic, so… alive.

They were slowly being dragged along through a small river that streamed through a luscious mangrove. The sky above was completely blocked out by the marvelous vermilion foliage of thousands of trees. Their long, thin roots crisscrossing over the ground, tangled up together in a wiry frame and submerged themselves deep within the murky waters. Tails could hear the chirps of birds, singing of insects and constant paddling of something nearby.

Suddenly, he noticed something. He was being dragged. They were no longer drifting at the mercy of the current, but two creatures had the loose vines in each hand, steadily paddling along the river.

"Knuckles, Tikal…" Tails whispered, tapping the on the shoulder. They both stirred, yawning as they woke up but Tails quickly shushed them. "Be quiet and keep your head's down." He was staring at the two, his head positioned back down on the wood, as was the echidna's. Just as they spoke, one of the two creatures turned its head to glance at the three, noticing that they were all still asleep and decided to go back to paddling.

"Where are we?" Knuckles whispered, darting his eyes side to side to take in as much of the surrounding mangroves as he could.

"And what are those things? They look like plants," Tikal added.

"I think we are about to find out," Tails mentioned as he looked ahead. The river began to branch out, slowly turning into a small, circular grove. The trees grew all around, letting little light in. The twilight area was dim, with small lights coming from the flying fireflies that buzzed around the entrance and the few rays of the sun that broke through the foliage and trunks from the sides.

"You three can stand up now and stop pretending," an elder, somewhat motherly voice pierced the eerie silence. Tails, Knuckles and Tikal all sat up, taking in a better look of their surroundings. In the middle of the grove, on a platform on dense roots sat a large, open, wooden house. The only entrance or exit from this place that they could find, apart from the river leading out to the ocean, was a small gap in the trees to the east.

The three stepped out of the water and onto the roots, shaking slightly as they walked over to the wide opening of the house.

"They are expecting you inside," a small, thin, pink creature said. She almost looked like a fairy, with short wings and long legs. Tails swallowed his fear, taking the initiative and entering the house. Inside was much like the outside, with plants growing all over the place. The pink creature led them into a small room with a large, white flower that served as a make-shift table. Three figures stood around the table.

Right in the middle stood a taller creature. She had long, flowing light blue hair the fell down to her waist. A small, white tulip sat on her head with green vines growing down the side, tangled into her hair. She garnered white robes that draped over her body and flared out near her knees like a budding flower. The bottom of the robes was dipped a floral green.

Standing on either side of her were two similar plant-like creatures, each a bit smaller than her. One had shorter, dark-blue hair that fell to her shoulders and a fringe that barely covered her sparkling indigo eyes. She too had a white flower over her head but no vines protruded from it. She had a short, white dress with dark blue sleeves that matched her hair and the bottom of her dress that flared out after the waist had been dipped in blue too. A beautiful emerald was stuck onto her chest. The other girl looked more unique compared to the others. She had no flower adorned to the crest of her head. Instead, she has short, green hair that was tied up in two buns that extended out into red rose petals like a budding flower. Her hair fell between her azure eyes, obscuring none of her beautiful face. Her dress was identical to the other short female, but was green instead of blue. She had a pristine ruby fastened to her chest.

"Is that all my queen?" The pink fairy asked.

"Yes, thank you Lumina, that will be all," the taller centered creature addressed the fairy. Lumina nodded before closing the door, trapping Tails, Knuckles and Tikal inside.

"Umm… He-" Tails began, addressing the three creatures that stood in front of him when Knuckles suddenly intervened.

"What's the big idea abducting us?" He growled defensively, standing in front of Tikal to protect her from these potentially vicious creatures.

"That's no way to talk to the queen," the smaller blue girl yelled back, malice in her voice.

"Now, now Galaxia. That is no way to address our guests," the queen responded calmly. "Don't mind her, she is a bit hot-headed," the taller female chuckled, earning a scowl from Galaxia.

"Wh-who are you?" Tikal questioned, intrigued by these three figures standing before them.

"Oh, excuse me. Where are my manors? My name is Earthia, queen of the Zuncons and these are my daughters, Galaxia and Cosmo," she replied, pointing to the two princesses.

"H-Hello," Cosmo said in a conserved and defensive tone.

"Yeah, whatever," Galaxia snorted.

"Nice to meet you," Tails bowed respectfully, not wanting to make these people mad. "It's an honor to meet… meet…" he trailed off. "Wait… did you say Zuncon?"

"Why yes, this is Zuncon," she smiled at the three.

"What? How did we get here? We wanted to go to Mobius!"

"Of course you three are Mobians. That explains the lack of manors, disgusting," Galaxia snorted, crossing her arms and turning her nose up at the red echidna who mirrored her response.

"My patrol spotted you three passed out on that log. We feared the worst, assuming that you might have been another poor soul to fall victim to that horrendous beast that the Vapians let loose in these waters one hundred years ago, so we brought you back here," Earthia shook her head, shuddering at just the thought of the leviathan.

"Well… thank you, I guess," Tikal thanked the queen.

"So, tell me, what circumstances led you to be in the situation you were in?" Earthia asked.

"Well, it's a long story," Knuckles mentioned.

"I love stories," Cosmo chimed in, earning another scowl from her sister in the process.

"We have time. Please, enlighten us," Earthia gave them the floor, letting them regale her with their tale.

"Well," Tails began. "It all started a year ago when I first told the truth to my long time best friend, Sonic…" Slowly, Tails began from the beginning, explaining his story. He mentioned the confession, the service by Big, Christmas, Amy and Blaze finding out, the strange machine that made them all sing, the dance and vacation and, of course, the party where their secret was ousted. He then mentioned travelling to Aves to meet Wave, Jet and Storm and how Big slaughtered them and made Sonic try to kill him. He finished with how they had lived on the deserted island and, after meeting up with Tikal again, decided to come back to put an end to Vector, Sonic's father, before another great war has begun.

"Huh, a likely story," Galaxia flared her nostrils in defiance after Tails had concluded.

"But Galaxia, don't you remember that day when we all burst into song randomly?" Cosmo added. "What he says makes sense."

"But still. I guess it makes sense that those scums would lose their mind over something so trivial as a boy loving a boy," Galaxia scoffed again.

"Well, if it is any consolation, we accept all here. We are a peaceful race," Cosmo chimed in but was immediately silence by a glare from Galaxia.

"Fine sis, let's put it to a vote. You say we should trust them and I say we shouldn't. What do you say mother?" Galaxia and Cosmo both turned to their mother.

"Girls, enough… I, actually believe these strangers," she mentioned with little trepidation. Cosmo turned to her sister, poking out her tongue.

"You can't be serious," Galaxia's mouth fell agape, stunned by her mother's trust of these people who they were supposed to be at war with. "I am aware of Mobius suddenly breaking the peace treaty and declaring war on not only Aves, but the rest of the continent too but was unsure why the sudden change. We expected the first declaration of war to be against us by Vapos after Razor's continuous decline of friendship after our past."

"What happened?" Tikal said, intrigued as curiosity glinted in her eyes.

"None of your business," Galaxia retorted rudely.

"Anyway… thank you for believing us. So, would you mind us joining you and we can go fight to take back Mobius and hopefully find our friends, Sonic and Blaze?" Tails asked.

"I'm sorry, but if what you said is true and they were left at the mercy of the Leviathan, they are already dead," Earthia said solemnly. Knuckles gasped, the colour draining from his face.

"No, that's simply not true," Tails said defiantly. "If he was dead I would know it. I would feel it in my heart, in my soul and that simply isn't the case. He is alive."

"Hope can be a great thing, but it can also destroy us," Earthia said.

"I think he is still alive too," Cosmo smiled at the fox, who couldn't help but blush slightly at her endearing smile.

"Fine, we'll all start acting like idiots then," Galaxia groaned, annoyed at the display she was seeing. "And stay away from Cosmo fox boy," she warned.

"Galaxia, please, I don't think we have anything to worry about," Earthia winked at Tails who replied with a sheepish smile. But I apologize but will not be sparing any troops to help you."

"But why?" Knuckles asked.

"We were peaceful before the hundred-year war and were forced to fight and split because of that cat and I refuse to make that same mistake twice. We will be staying neutral this time. That is final."

"But-"

"That. Is. Final," Eartha's tone suddenly changed to a domineering one, frightening Tails and Knuckles slightly. "Now," she suddenly perked back up. "Galaxia and Cosmo will show you to your rooms. You can stay with us until you decide what you want to do for the future."

"I'll show them mother," Cosmo blushed, grabbing Tails by the arm and leading the three away, leaving a brooding Galaxia behind.

"Cosmo, darling, I think they might need to be in separate rooms. I don't think we should let these two boys share a room together," she winked, chuckling to herself.

"What? No, but I'm not-" Knuckles protested.

"Come on, let's get you in a separate room," Tikal giggled as she pushed his back, getting them to catch up to Cosmo and Tails who had already gone ahead, leaving Earthia and Galaxia in the main room. "We wouldn't want any funny business between you and Tails during our stay," she laughed even louder when she saw the red embarrassment evident on Knuckles face.

"But… I'm not-" he repeated again, flabbergasted and too embarrassed to defend himself when he was suddenly cut off by a kiss on the cheek. He froze, looking over to see a beaming echidna next to him, a crimson colour staining her cheeks.

"I know, I'm just teasing, now come on," she urged, grabbing his hand and running along to meet with Cosmo who was waiting at the end of a hallway. Knuckles rushed along behind her, his mouth still open as he touched his cheek with his hand, looking at the echidna who he used to love, her hand enclosed in hers like it used to always be…

…

"Why should I believe that story?" Razor asked, baring his teeth and snarling at the cowering cat and hedgehog, gun still trained on them.

"Why would I make up a story like that? Why would I admit to being gay if it wasn't true?" Sonic growled back, sick of having weapons trained on him despite the subtle warnings from the scared feline beside him.

"Sonic I don't think you should antagonize him. He might-" she whispered but he shushed her, storming up to the frowning shark.

"No, I'm done being silenced by adults. You think you can all control us. You think you all know what's best. Well news flash, you don't! Now I don't give two shits if you believe me or not, but if you aren't going to help then let us go so I can kill my father myself," Sonic yelled, his eyes burning with rage as his chest rose and fell. He was completely worked up. Razor narrowed his eyes, his gaze burning into Sonic as Blaze clenched her eyes shut, waiting for the ear-splitting ring of the gun. But none came. Suddenly, without warning, Razor just burst into a fit of laughter.

"Har, har, har. That a boy," he grinned, lowering his weapon and placing an arm on Sonic's shoulder. "I knew you had some fire in you boy. Don't worry, I believe you, just wanted to see if you really meant what you said about taking down yer father. Any enemy of Mobius is a friend of mine."

"Wait, you really mean?" Blaze asked in bewilderment.

"Certainly, I'll help you take down Mobius and kill yer dad, Sonic. On one condition…" Razor ended.

"Sure, anything. Having all of Vapos on our side is exactly what we need. With you, and Wave and her army we can't lose!" he cheered.

"We've been at odds with the Zuncons for a hundred years and we need to end this now. We'll help you invade Mobius, if you help me take over Zuncon and kill Earthia!"

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 _A/N: Well, there you have it. Tails, Sonic and the rest of the gang have finally reached main land Mobius, but at two complete opposite ends! Earthia wants peace, trying to convince Tails and Knuckles that Sonic and Tails are dead but they don't believe her. Atleast she is peacful and hospitale... right? And waht about that kiss with Tikal? What was that all about? Meanwhile, Razor seems to be the complete opposite of Earthia, but are they both being true? What lies beneath the surface and what truly happened during the war that made Vapos hate Zuncon so much? All these answers and more comming soon. Also, the one year anniversary of Sontails: Dreams Come True is coming up later this month! I'm excited and you should be too! Maybe I'll do something grand for it, I don't know yet. Anyway, if you enjoyed this please, please leave a review. They all mean the world to me and take almost no time out of your day. It means a lot and really helps my motivation so if you read this chapter, and all the others and are liking this story let me know your thoughts, even just as a guest :) Also work for the musical 2 is coming along nicely. 4 songs have already been written, tested and finished._

 _Question of the day: What do you think of the four new characters. Razor, Cosmo, Galaxia and Earthia (All real Sonic characters, this story has no OC's so look them up if you don't know them!) Which is your favourite and least favourite and why?_

Next time on Sontails: War of Faith - Chapter 8 Separation Anxiety


	8. Chapter 8: Separation Anxiety

_A/N: HAPPY ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY! HOORAY! Yep, it's been exactly one year since not only the first chapter of Sontails: Dreams Come True but also of Twotailedfox's ff account :) It feels like only yesterday I just started writing and now I can't believe how far I've come. 5 stories, over 80 chapters and according to my user stats, a whoping 434,253 words archived and published. That's insane and honestly I couldn't have done it without you guys. So, as a thanks, not only will I be releasing this chapter to celebrate the milestone but I'm also releasing chapter 9 tomorrow as a back-to-back! So please, enjoy this chapter :)_

 _Oh, and FYI, I know I've switched between Vapians and Vaposians before but I have decided they are Vaposians from here on out. Why? Well, because of the pun of course. They are pronounced VAPE-OCEANS. So Vaposians it is :D_

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Chapter 8

Separation Anxiety

Sonic sat on the edge of the brick-layered street, his feet dipped in the cool refreshing waters of the canals. He looked off to the left, his gaze following the rippling water that lapped the edges. Following it down the main part of the city until it discharged out into the vast, mysterious Mobian ocean. Sonic shuddered, a chill running up his spine as his thoughts travelled back to the last time they were all at the mercy of that very ocean. Back when they still had some peace in their life. Back before the leviathan attacked.

"Hey, you alright?" A voice broke through Sonic's daydream, bringing him back to his senses as he looked up and saw a shadow cast by the burning sun.

"Yeah, I'm good. Just thinking is all," Sonic replied with a sigh. He waited as he felt the presence of somebody sit down next to him their legs dangling down off the edge too, but not quite being tall enough to touch the water with their foot.

"About Tails again?" Blaze asked sympathetically, her own thoughts casting back towards the red echidna she often thought about.

"No," Sonic replied, surprising Blaze. "Well, I mean yeah, I'm always thinking about him but-"

"I know what you mean," Blaze interrupted. "I couldn't sleep at all last night. I couldn't stop thinking of him, of them both, and what happened to them."

"Same here, I just don't know what to do. I miss him so much, y'know?"

"What I do know is that we will see them again. I know we will."

"How can you be so sure?" Sonic asked, his usual optimism leaking out of him like water through a crack.

"Because I have the most powerful emotion in me," she smiled at Sonic.

"Love?"

"More powerful. Hope," Blaze looked over at the horizon where the vast expanse of ocean met the skyline. "One can never truly be sad if they have hope. It's like the tiniest glint of light in a world full of darkness and shadow. And I know that out there, somewhere, Knuckles and Tails are thinking of us. Tails is smart, he'll have the same plan as us. I know they are heading to Mobius and that's where we will meet them again."

"How can you be so sure?" Sonic pondered, still not convinced, although adoring the notion.

"Hope." That was all Blaze said before they sat in silence. After a few minutes of bathing in the warming sun, Sonic spoke up.

That's not the only thing I was thinking about, though. I was just thinking, y'know the creature that attacked us, right?"

"How could I forget? That scaly face will haunt my dreams for months," the cat shuddered just thinking about it.

"Well remember what Abyss said? She called it Levi, like she knew it. What if…" Sonic trailed off as Blaze's eyes suddenly grew large.

"…it was Razor that set that thing to attack us so that we would cooperate with him. Maybe he planned all this…" Blaze finished his thought as the idea suddenly rang true in her mind. "But… but why us? What would he want with us? For all he knows we were just random Mobians on a raft. There is no way he could know that…" Blaze darted around, looking for any eavesdroppers before she whispered in a low voice. "…that your father is the one who started this war?"

"I have no idea, but I'm going to find out," Sonic clenched his fist as he stood and marched off towards the central dome with Blaze in tow behind him.

…

Vector sat on his throne, a small device in his hands. Suddenly, the almost transparent device began buzzing and the angry crocodile pushed the flashing red button in the center and threw it in front of him and it skidded to a halt in front of him. The light around the device began to falter and fluctuate before a figure began to grow from within, bathed in a blue light. There, standing in front of Vector, was the hologram of a figure, a man that Vector recognized.

"You rang?" Vector addressed the person in front of him.

"How are things progressing on your end?" The hologram asked, face purposely hidden behind a mask to avoid being seen by anybody else who could possibly be lurking in the room with Vector. Vector snorted at the idea of his accomplice always being so cautious, but little did the crocodile realize that one of his trusted generals happened to be walking by the throne room at that moment.

"Like I told you last week, perfectly fine. The serum is undergoing the transformation and will be ready in a weeks' time," Vector growled.

"Perfect. Oh, and there is one thing I need to tell you about. My sources found out some information about somebody you have been enquiring about," the hologram began.

"Yes!" Vector replied hastily. "What about them?"

"What in Chaos' name is that?!" A voice shrieked from the open doorway. There, standing in the entrance was a petrified pink hedgehog, her eyes glued to the hologram in the center of the room.

"I told you that you could never be too careful. Deal with this," the hologram barked in an angry and frustrated tone before immediately shutting off his signal.

"Amy, what have I told you about barging in?!" Vector hissed.

"W-w-was that a…"

"It was a hologram, yes."

"B-but how? How did you do that? There is no way we have the technology to create that," Amy babbled, unable to believe her eyes.

"Never you mind that. I'm actually glad you're here, however. I've received word from Mighty that Shadow has almost succeeded in securing Aves capital but I need you to go assist him in commanding the troops in the front line to make absolute certain. Controlling the center of the continent is necessary, understood?"

"Y-Yes," Amy mumbled, still at awe with what she saw. She quickly shook her head and hastened out of the room, knowing far too well that she shouldn't stay to question Vector's orders.

"Why did I give those kids so much power," Vector pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing heavily.

…

Sonic and Blaze knocked on the large doors that acted as the barrier between Razor's private room and the rest of the castle-like structure that was concealed inside of the glass dome.

"What now Abyss?" A voice from inside barked. Sonic wasted no time in pushing open the door and striding into the room, crossing the small bridge. "Oh, Sonic, what is the meaning of this… pleasurable encounter," his voice suddenly changed, uplifting in tone and demeaner.

"Cut the crap," Sonic dared, staring deep into Razor's eyes almost as if challenging the shark.

"Har, har, I like yer spunk," Razor chortled as he narrowed his eyes. "But don't think that means yer allowed to talk to me like that. Now out with it boy."

"What do you want with us?" Sonic stated bluntly, causing Razor to falter slightly.

"What do ya mean?"

"Well you sent Levi on us, then rescued us, then partitioned us into your army to help you invade Zuncon with only your word that we will go take down Vector," Sonic growled, surprising even himself with the amount of malice that he could produce to accompany his voice.

"Whoa, take it easy there, son," Razor eased his way into an explanation. "I didn't set the Leviathan loose on ya. I had no idea who ya were until ya told me yer story yesterday. Here I was helping ya out from the bottom of my heart and yer taking advantage of my kindness."

"No, sir, honest, it's not like that," Blaze tried to sedate the situation but Sonic wasn't done. The hedgehog had worked himself up to a point where he needed an explanation for that creatures existence.

"Well why on Mobius did you ever release that… that thing?!" Sonic almost exploded, his heavy, shallow breaths flared out of his nostrils.

"Levi is not a thing, she is a she," Razor hissed back.

"Why on Mobius did you ever release _her_?"

"I don't like yer tone but ya know what? Fine, I'll explain. If yer gonna help me take out Earthia, we need to build a relationship on trust first," Razor sat back trying to accommodate for the annoying hedgehog's insistence. He didn't know why he was letting this Mobian address him like that but there was something about Sonic's attitude that Razor liked.

"It all started back during great war one hundred years ago…" Razor began, thinking back to the beginning of the hate. "Our land was in disarray. Our troops, our families dying to Large's forces. Aves and Macton had already allied together in a plan to fend of Large's barbaric attack and the Zuncons and us Vaposians had set a meeting. We wanted to join this alliance but not everything occurred as planned," Razor's voice lowered, hints of pain still in his voice.

"Obviously, I wasn't alive at the time of the war but my father was and his mother, Queen Coral of Vapos. She ruled over us and lead us during the great war. She arranged a meeting with the leader of the Zuncons, and Earthia's father, Dark Oak. However, when Coral, accompanied by my father who was still a teenager, Dark Oak acted. It was a trap. As my grandmother tried to talk about piece, he removed a concealed dagger from its sheath and murdered Coral, right in front of my father, Striker. That monster murdered my grandmother right in front of my father's young eyes. As Oak gloated, my father took his opportunity and struck down Dark Oak. However, it wasn't enough and Striker went mad with grief. He released Levi unto the waters, sending her towards the Zuncon territory. She attacked a boat with Dark Oak's bride and devoured her. Ever since Earthia has hated us, and us her and all the Zuncons. All we learnt from this is never to trust a Zuncon. Ever."

"Hang on a minute," Sonic interjected. "How can that be true. We were always taught that all four nations banded together to defeat Large and only with all forces combined everyone was forced to agree to a peace treaty as they still weren't strong enough. If you and the Zuncons didn't fight, there is no way Aves and Macton could have defeated Large alone."

"Aye my boy, that's true. But I never said they didn't fight, did I? There was much resentment, but Vapos was allies with Macton, just as Zuncon was allies with Aves. It was through Aves and Macton's alliance that a planned attack at all fronts was successful and lead to peace. Vapos and Zuncon never had to interact and since then, no diplomatic relations were ever forged between the two lands and that's the way it has been and will remain."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Blaze managed to squeak after a few moments of awkward silence.

"So ya believe me now? Ya believe that this wasn't just a trick to use you, even though that would make no sense. Yer just a boy anyway," Razor chuckled.

"Yeah," Sonic laughed, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. "I was wondering how you could have figured out that Vector was my fa-" Sonic stopped immediately, eyes widening as he realized what he just said. He turned to Blaze with an equally worried look on her face as they both turned to face Razor. He was silent, staring at the two.

"Vector… that monster is… yer father?"

"Razor, sir, please it isn't what you think. Please don't kill us!" Blaze suddenly piped up, not wanting Sonic to open his big mouth any further. Razor continued to just stare at them before he let out another surprising, hearty laugh.

"That's why ya and yer little boyfriend ended up starting this big war. 'Cuz yer father is Vector. It makes so much more sense now," he chuckled.

"You… you think that's funny?" Sonic stammered, bewildered.

"It is hilarious my boy. It also means that you will be a much more powerful ally than I thought," he grinned, showing rows of sharp teeth. Sonic and Blaze exchanged relieved glances before sighing in content. "Well, get some rest you two. My troops are readying up and we leave tomorrow at first light to march on Zuncon. I assume yer both still going to help?"

"Certainly," Blaze and Sonic both nodded before turning and scurrying out of the dome, still unable to believe what they had just heard. They returned to the small room that they had been granted to stay and discussed what Razor had told them. During all history classes back at school, neither one had ever heard anything about the drama between the other nations. All they were ever really taught was how Large conquered everybody and agreed to peace in his mighty wisdom to end the suffering like a saint. Shortly tiredness began to affect them as the tantalizing talons of sleep gripped their shoulders, dragging them down into the sand man's layer. The moon illuminated the Vapos shoreline as owl's hooting and crickets sung out in the night while Sonic and Blaze drifted off to sleep, both thinking of their respected lost loves.

…

The sun streamed through the closed curtains, shining it's bright, early morning light onto the sapphire hedgehog's eyelids. He squinted, his lashes slowly fluttering open as he sat up and yawned, rubbing the crust out of the corners of his eyes. He looked over at the time, noting that it was almost seven in the morning.

"So, you're finally awake?" A voice called out through the dim light.

"Blaze, why are you up so early?" Sonic asked, sticking a finger into his ear and twisting to remove the buildup of wax that accumulated over the night. He pulled his finger out, cringing at the excess amount and quickly wiped it away on the bedsheets.

"You're disgusting," Blaze remarked.

"What?" Sonic replied defensively. "It's not like we are staying here another night."

"I guess…" Blaze sighed.

"Still thinking of him?"

"Yeah, I just feel so lonely sometimes," Blaze reflected.

"Well don't you worry. I'm still here for you and I've always got your back. I'll never leave you Blaze, just like I know you'll never leave me," Sonic flashed his signature grin. Blaze suddenly felt a pang of guilt in her heart, shaking her head. However, this action didn't go unnoticed by the curious hedgehog. "What was that?"

"It was nothing. You're probably seeing things."

"No tell me," Sonic persisted like he so often stubbornly did.

"Well… that's not entirely true," Blaze admitted, taking a long, deep breath to steel herself. She wasn't sure if admitting this to Sonic was the smartest thing to do but the decision her and Knuckles had made earlier continually weighed on her conscience and whether Sonic reacted positively or not, she knew it would just be a relief to speak the truth.

"What do you mean?"

"Well… Sonic… the thing is… Don't get me wrong. You and Tails are my two best friends and I know Knuckles agrees but, um, well, we were talking… back on the island," she continued to mumble but made sure to finish her thought. "I know it's not true but we both can't help but feel it."

"Just say it, I promise I won't be mad."

"Okay… Knuckles and I, especially after the storm, kinda sorta blame you and Tails for everything that has happened to us and, well, you kind of ruined our lives and, well, we were going to leave both of you and were in the process of leaving when Tikal suddenly showed up…" The air suddenly grew tight as it was filled with tension. Sonic just stared back at the feline, unable to construct a logical thought. He just couldn't believe what he had just heard.

"We didn't ask you to help us," Sonic said quietly.

"I know."

"It was your choice. His too. We didn't ask you to drop your lives to help us. We would have fled just us either way so you can't pin this on us."

"I know," Blaze repeated.

"So how the fuck can you blame us for everything!" Sonic exploded, emotions and pent up anger from the frustration of losing Tails pouring out of him.

"Sonic, calm down. I know these thoughts are wrong but they aren't misguided. I don't like them but they aren't completely false. When I found out about your secret neither of you really gave me an option, did you?"

"That's because that's what friends do. They keep secrets. We didn't ask you to run away with us to the island thought!"

"Yeah well don't get so mad at me. You seemed pretty buddy, buddy with Tikal who was the one who fucking ousted you to everybody," Blaze couldn't take it anymore. The usually quiet, composed feline gave into her primal emotions. She never swore, but suddenly couldn't help herself. "You fucking forgave her quicker than you cum! Yeah, that's right. Knuckles and I both heard you all those nights. Our beds were right next to yours. You didn't even have the bloody decency to go outside when you wanted to fuck Tails!"

"Blaze, what the actual fuck! No, you know what?!"

"What do I know? C'mon, lay it on me. Chaos knows I've put up with so much stress because of the secrets so let's just let it all out. No more fucking secrets!" Sonic's face grew redder by the second, as did Blaze's but just before Sonic could say another word or open his mouth, the door to their room burst open and in strode a grinning shark.

"That's the spirit kids," he laughed. "I like the enthusiasm. Now let's go. We have a long day of walking ahead of us and all the troops are ready. Now shake a leg, let's go." Sonic and Blaze stared at each other, furrowing their brows as they glared daggers. However, they both reluctantly got up, grabbed the packs that Razor had supplied with them and left to join the rest of the Vaposians, not saying another word to each other.

"Here we go, time to go kill Earthia!" Razor shouted victoriously as him, Blaze, Sonic, Abyss and the rest of the Vaposian troops began their march across the desert towards the lush jungle and mangroves of Zuncon territory.

* * *

 _A/N: So what did you think? Some of you might be dissapointed saying 'Hey twotail... if this is the one year anniversary of your most popular story and also your account, then why did you release a chapter that had no Tails in it?! Well, next chapter, which will come out tomorrow, has all Tails and no Sonic. THe point of releasing both is to show the two sides and to exeplify the feeling of separation that both are feeling. But anyway, that's for tomorrow, what did you think about this chapter. Please leave a review to let me know what you thought, what you think is coming or to just yell at me to say I'm slacking off. All feedback is appreciated and, as always, have a nice day :)_

Next time on Sontails: War of Faith - Chapter 9: Marching towards Destruction


	9. Chapter 9: Marching Towards Destruction

_A/N: Hello everybody, and welcome to part 2 of the big anniversary celebration. Yesterday we saw what Blaze and Sonic have been up to, so now let's check in on Tails, Knuckles and Tikal :)_

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Chapter 9

Marching Towards Destruction

Bullets flew through the air at breakneck speeds, ricocheting off rocks, splintering fragments cracking to the ground as they collided with solid surfaces. Ash and smoke filled the air as the Avian troops continued to retreat. Their blood curdling screams filled the heavy, turbid air as they were continuously gunned down one by one.

Wave watched in horror as almost all her fighters fell beside her until only a few stragglers, herself and her right-hand woman, Fiona, still stood.

"Wave, I think this is it," Fiona turned to the swallow as the two quickly ducked behind a rock. "Shadow's relentless attack has proven too much. He's almost at the capital, this is our last line of defense. What do we do?" Wave turned from her to the barren plains where more of her feathered brethren were being slaughtered.

"There is only one thing we can do," Wave took a deep breath of the dusty air and swallowed her fear down. Fiona gave her a quizzical glance, looking for guidance that Wave could no longer give. "Fiona, you have served me well all these years."

"What are you saying? This is starting to sound like a goodbye," Fiona said, noticing the inklings of small tear droplets in the corners of Wave's eyes.

"I'm going to surrender myself. They will take the capital, but it will spare our people," Wave spoke in a stern, emotionless tone.

"No, you can't do that! Shadow will kill you the first chance he gets," Fiona warned, the rust-furred vixen filled with determination.

"That may be, but if it saves our people, and if it saves you, then it will be worth it," Wave smiled. "What I need you to do is run. When I get them to cease fire you need to flee, run as far away from here as possible."

"Wave…"

"This is not up for discussion!" Wave took charge. "Now go," the swallow quickly grabbed Fiona, bringing her into a brisk, tight embrace before breaking apart. "Don't let them see you." With that, Wave stepped out from her hiding spot behind the rock with her hands in the air.

"Wait! Stop your fire!" Bullets continued to wiz past her, barely scratching her bruised and battered figure.

"Hold!" a dark, domineering voice raised up over the incessant sound of gunfire as the Mobian frontline immediately held their fire. Shadow stepped forward, grinning maliciously as he beckoned Wave over towards him. The swallow held her head down, her eyes glassing over the rubble and submerged bullet casings covered in dust as her feet slowly took her towards the imposing hedgehog.

"Well, well, well," Shadow scoffed as he circled around the defenseless swallow. He traced the scar on his cheek with his finger, the singed skin still stinging to the touch. "I've been waiting to finally get you like this."

"Just do your worst," Wave sighed as she clenched her eyes and gave herself to the mercy of Shadow, who licked his lips in anticipation. Shadow grinned, filled with the vengeance that had taken control of him since the swallow had almost killed him not days prior. However, before he could act on these feelings, a figure dived out from behind a nearby rock and wrapped its arm around Shadow's neck.

"Everybody stand back. One wrong move and a bullet goes through his brain," Fiona warned, her stance steadfast as she had one arm around Shadow and the other pushing the barrel of a gun into his temple. Her finger twitched, hovering just next to the trigger, ready to pull it at a moment's notice.

"Fiona? I thought I told you to escape," Wave said, shocked at seeing the fox back to her aid again.

"I couldn't let him just kill you like that."

"Sure you could," Shadow smirked but a quick kick to the back of the knee shut him up as he grunted, faltering forward.

"Wave, get out of here. Retreat and rally the forces," Fiona urged, her eyes darting from side to side, noticing the white knuckles of Mighty who trained his gun straight at Fiona's head, ready for the signal from the ebony hedgehog.

"But what about you?"

"I'll be fine, trust me. Now go."

"But-"

"Now," Fiona yelled. Wave's eyes grew, her pools searching Fiona's for any source of a plan but all she could see was acceptance. Wave knew Fiona didn't have a plan. She knew Fiona had no intention of making it out of this alive but she did see a hint of hope, deep in her eyes. Wave nodded.

"Goodbye," she whispered before turning heel and sprinting off through the ravine and disappearing from view. The sight of the bird once again getting away from him consumed Shadow, fueling his already raging flame. His mind flashed back to the same image of Sonic, the night in the boat when, just like currently, he stood unable to do anything as the object of his hatred diminished off into the distance.

Unable to control himself any longer, Shadow quickly kicked back, the heel of his boot digging into Fiona's shin. She howled out in pain, wincing as she dropped the gun from her hand. In one fell swoop, Shadow bent over and scooped it up, training it right at Fiona's forehead.

"You made a big mistake," he hissed, his bloodshot eyes daring Fiona to make a move. He watched her as he slowly began to pull the trigger, relishing in the moment when suddenly a voice cut through the silence.

"Shadow, don't!"

"Amy? What are you doing here? You're supposed to be back at the castle," Shadow groaned, turning his attention away from Fiona for a second. He made sure Mighty still had a weapon aimed at her so that she would be gunned down if she tried to escape.

"Vector sent me. Shadow, he want's Wave alive," she relayed the crocodile's message.

"Well Wave got away, so he can't have that. Doesn't mean Fiona needs to be alive."

"No, we need her. She's second in command of the Avian army and that means she has the information we desire for a quick takeover. Vector will want to question her," Amy urged. Shadow paused, his face turning between Amy and Fiona as he raised the weapon back up to Fiona, his hand shaking.

"Shadow, don't do it," Amy warned. Fiona held her breath, counting the seconds as she believed each one would be her last until finally, Shadow let out a deep sigh.

"Fine. Tie her up, and hold the lines Mighty, I'll take her back to Vector," he reluctantly agreed. As Fiona was being readied for transport, Shadow walked up until his face was right in front of Amy's, his nostrils flaring. "This is the last time you tell me what to do. Ever," he warned before grabbing Fiona and beginning the trek back with Amy in tow.

"Yeah, whatever," she muttered under her breath.

…

"It's just beautiful, isn't it?" Tikal remarked as she gazed upon the marvelous mangrove that surrounded them on all sides. The lush, dense trees the encircled the alcove danced in the breeze, swaying in motion together like dancers in a musical whistling with the wind. Thin rays of sunlight broke through the small gaps in the foliage, drowning the wooden shelter in warming hues of orange and amber. The murky water lapped against the two echidna's shins as they let their legs dip into the cooling water. They both sat back, propped up by their hands and forearms as they just took in the scenery.

"Yeah, it really is…" Knuckles marveled as he let the beauty overtake him. Ever since Blaze and Sonic had separated from them, his mind had been plagued with fear and doubt but for the first time since, he finally felt a slight hint of peace.

"So… how are you feeling?" Tikal asked tentatively, turning her head to look at him.

"I don't know… I just… I hope they are okay," Knuckles responded after a moment of silence, misty eyed as he continued to stare ahead with little inflection in his voice.

"Hey, c'mon now," Tikal began, placing her hand on his arm. "I know they are both going to be just fine." Startled from the sudden contact, Knuckles turned to look at Tikal. "Oh… I'm sorry," she quickly retreated her hand back.

"No, no it's okay… I just…" he paused, contemplating his words. "Thanks." That was all he said before he placed his hand onto the back of hers. Shocked, she looked back up at him only to see his smile beaming back at her.

"Everything will turn out alright. We just need to figure out a way to change Earthia's mind and get to Mobius. I'm certain we will see both Sonic… and Blaze there and you guys can reunite." Tikal turned her hand over and entwined her fingers within Knuckles'.

"You know Tikal, something is different about you," Knuckles began.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, don't get me wrong, back in Mobius I did love you. I wouldn't have stayed with you for so long if I didn't but something seemed… wrong," Knuckles admitted.

"What do you mean?" Tikal asked again.

"Near the end of it, before all this shit went down, I started to feel more and more distant from you. Like something between us wasn't quite right and no matter what I did to rekindle that first spark, nothing would work. I just decided that it's probably because I'm not even eighteen yet and as I was changing, so were my feelings…" he trailed off, not knowing where to go or how to finish what he was saying.

"You were going to break up with me?" Tikal asked, trying to hold back the sadness that was threatening her.

"I… I don't know," Knuckles admitted. "Maybe?"

"What did I do wrong?"

"It wasn't you, it was me. I know that's cliché but it was. I just wasn't seeing you the way I used to. Then when you washed up on that island… something was different about you," Knuckles spoke softly. He raised his unoccupied hand and brushed Tikal's cheek, stroking a stand of stray hair and combing it back behind her ear like is usually sat.

"Di-different how?" Tikal swallowed, memorized by Knuckles as her heart began to race.

"I can't place my finger on it," he continued. "It's like, when I look at you, something inside of me has changed. Like that old, long since extinguished spark has returned."

"Well you've changed heaps too. Since when did you have such a way with words? What happened to my big dummy?" Tikal laughed.

"He grew up. He was forced to because of what you did," Knuckles suddenly hissed, shadows covering his eyes. "I-I'm sorry… I didn't mean-"

"No," Tikal interjected. "You're right. I caused this whole mess. I just wish that if I could go back and change one thing, it would be that night when I found the diary. I wish I didn't cause this war, and I wish I didn't lose you."

"But you found me again," Knuckles smiled.

"I always will," Tikal replied as the two slowly leant in closer. Tikal's eyes moved around in their sockets, searching Knuckles' as the two leaned closer together, slowly shutting their eyelids.

"I get it. You're sad but that doesn't give you the right to be alone with my sister. Now stop moping and trying to get Cosmo to pity you so you can take advantage of her or else I swear I'll intervene," the annoyed, arrogant voice broke through the serene air surrounding the area. Knuckles turned his head away briskly to see what the commotion was about, causing Tikal to falter forward slightly as she was expecting something to push her back. She opened her eyes to see the depressed looking fox slip out of the shelter and take a seat away from the two on the other side of the rooted platform.

"Go on," Tikal sighed.

"But what about you?"

"I'll find a way to entertain myself. He needs some cheering up. Go on," Tikal smiled.

"See, you have changed," Knuckles grinned as he gave her a quick hug before standing up and walking over to Tails. Knuckles plonked himself down next to Tails and let his foot fall back in the water, causing small ripples in the still water.

"Hey buddy, how you holding up?" He asked with concern.

"I'd be a lot better if I wasn't always on Galaxia's bad side," Tails admitted.

"That's to say she even has a good side," Knuckles chuckled. Tails let a small smirk cross his face before instantly wiping it away. Knuckles jumped at the opportunity. "Ha, don't think I didn't see that. Come on, you're allowed to laugh. I'm pretty funny," he puffed out his chest.

"Just as arrogant as always," Tails shook his head, letting the smile form on his lips again.

"Well you know what they say about somebody with a big head," he knocked his noggin with his knuckles.

"A big brain?" Tails enquired.

"A big ego," Knuckles laughed. Tails let a small giggle escape his mouth too. "There the Tails I always knew was there.

"Thanks Knuckles, I really needed this," Tails said as he swirled his foot around in the water, letting the calming liquid soothe his soul and body. "You're always there for me when I need you." Knuckles flinched, a pang of guilt striking his heart.

"A-actually Tails… I think there is something I should probably confess," Knuckles sighed.

"What is it? You know you can tell me anything, right? Especially after all we've been through together."

"Yeah, I know, but there was a time when I didn't think that was the case."

"Look, I know we weren't really friends back in Mobius and I know you only really hung out with me because you and Sonic were good friends and I always stuck around with him but-"

"No, not back then," Knuckles interrupted. "I mean recently. Back on the island… after the storm specifically," Knuckles admitted. Tails turned his head, furrowing his brows in curiosity as his glance pushed for Knuckles to continue. "You see… Blaze and I couldn't help feeling the way we did. We didn't want to, but there was a part of us that couldn't deny that what has happened to us, to our now deceased families… was all you and Sonic's fault…"

"What do you mean?"

"If it wasn't for you, we would still be happy in Mobius. We would still be with our families and they would be alive. We came with you because you were our friends and we wanted to help but there is a part of me that resents you for all the wrong you inadvertently caused. After the storm, when the last of our hope was dashed, we planned to leave both of you and go off just the two of us. That is… until we found Tikal," Knuckles finally admitted the truth.

"You were going to leave us, after everything?" Tails asked, unable to believe what Knuckles was saying. The red echidna simply nodded, saying nothing more. "I…I…I…" Tails was at a loss for words, struggling to respond.

"I get it if you hate me," Knuckles bowed his head.

"I… understand."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I get it. We might not have asked you to help us, but you did because we were your friends and that's just what friends do. They help each other out. And we weren't exactly super thankful after it all and didn't stop to think about all that you sacrificed."

"Tails I-" Knuckles began, but was interrupted by a familiar pink fairy rush through the small opening in the grove screaming for Earthia. In no time at all, Earthia, accompanied by her two daughters Cosmo and Galaxia, came bursting out of the main doors of the large, wooden shelter.

"What is wrong Lumina?" She asked, keeping her calm, composed nature that she was known for.

"I just got word from one of the roaming patrols. They spotted Razor's army and he's heading this way! He'll be here on the hour," Lumina wailed, panic taking ahold of her.

"I knew he would try something like this. He's just using this Mobian war as an excuse to finish what he started," Earthia snarled, surprising even her own daughters by the malice that stuck to each world like the dripping toxins of a venomous spider.

"Mother?" Cosmo asked tentatively.

"Are you okay?" Galaxia chimed in.

"Excuse me Earthia, but why would the Vaposians be attacking here? I don't quite understand?" Tails enquired as Tikal stood up and joined the hexagon of individuals.

"Galaxia, go and ready the troops. I will be with you momentarily," Earthia instructed, waiting until Galaxia ran off to prepare before she turned to answer the curious fox's question.

"Well, in a quick summation, it all started back in the great war," Earthia began, making haste with her explanation. "As Large ravaged the land, Aves and Macton forged a powerful alliance and asked the help of us and the Vaposians to finally defeat Large. I was but a small child at the time, no more than ten years of age when my mother went off by boat, as it was quicker travel, to go to a meeting with the Macton's up north. However, her vessel never returned. A few days later we received word that her ship was attacked by a beast; the Leviathan. My mother was devoured and it sent my father, Dark Oak, into the realm of insanity. He was changed from that day on, and it scared me. I'll never forget the look of sheer hatred that was evident on his face when one of his spies discovered that the Leviathan was sent by Coral, leader of Vapos at the time, to kill my mother so she couldn't meet with the Vaposians current ally, Macton. He arranged a meeting with Coral and her son, Striker, and in a fit of rage he slaughtered Coral. Striker sliced him down after that and I lost both my parents that day. Ever since then, I have held great disdain towards the Vaposians, but was raised better than to act barbaric and attack."

"But if you and the Vaposians hated each other, then how did the four nations all come together to push back Large? That's what we learnt in school," Knuckles piped up.

"Also, are you really one hundred and ten years old?" Tikal asked, earning a few disapproving glances from Tails and Cosmo.

"Yes, I might not look it but I have lived for a long time. And that's due to our strong alliance with Aves. Vapos and Macton worked together and we did so thanks to Aves and Macton, we were able to coordinate without ever needing to speak with the Vaposians. After the terrible tragedy, all we learnt from it is never to trust a Vaposian. Ever."

"I'm sorry to hear," Tails empathized with the old queen.

"Queen Earthia, there is more," Lumina suddenly added, unable to hold her tongue any longer. "We need to be wary because our patrol told us that they are getting help from the Mobian army too!"

"Chaos, can it be true? If Razor is receiving help from Vector, then we have already lost."

"Can't we ask for Aves' assistance?" Knuckles enquired.

"Unfortunately no, as I just received word that Wave and Fiona fell in battle."

"No… Wave…" Tails sighed, thinking back to the swallow that helped him out when nobody else did.

"How can you be sure Mobius is helping?" Tikal asked.

"They said they saw two Mobians marching at the front lines next to Razor. A sapphire hedgehog and violet feline," Lumina reported. Knuckles gasped, his mouth falling agape as Tails eyes bulged and grew big with realization and hope. Tikal just stared forward into nothingness, her face expressionless.

"No, Earthia, that is not Mobius helping them. That's Blaze and Sonic, our friends. That means they are alive, and if we can just talk to them then we can stop a fight between you and Vapos," Knuckles urged, a sense of purpose filling him.

"If this is true, then there is still hope. Cosmo, let's go meet up with Galaxia and get ready for battle. You three come with me and try to bargain, but be prepared for war nonetheless," Earthia commanded in a didactic tone. The three nodded as they all scurried off, following Cosmo and Earthia.

"Sonic…" Tails thought. "He's alive. Let's go save our friends," Tails said, determination dripping off his words as the flame in his eyes alighted with hope. "Time to go to battle."

* * *

 _A/N: Well there you have it. Tikal and Knuckles are growing closer (Despite the many PM's and reviews I have gotten saying how you all hate Tikal. I know she is hated, but that might change. Just keep reading, but thanks for the feedback. If you hate her, then I guess I'm doing my job haha) and Earthia getting ready to battle Razor, next chapter is ready for a full on battle! So with Tails learning the truth of Knuckles and Blaze's plan, his reaction was a complete reversal from Sonic's. Which reaction did you like more? Could that lead to further disputes further down the road? And with Tails learning the truth about Sonic and Blaze, it seems we are ready for a possibly happy reunion next chapter! Or maybe not... How do you feel about Tikal and Knuckles, do you agree with Tails or Sonic in athe reaction, and what will happen when both forces finally come face to face. And yes, Wave escaped and Fiona is captured. What could come of this?_

 _Also, there are only three chapters remaining before the big musical special! As a final surprise for this anniversary special, I've decided to give a list of the people who get their own songs. Next chapter I'll reveal which songs will get parodied and possibly some more updates in the future, but for now, this is all you get :P In no particular order, Vector and Amy, Sonic X2, Tails X2, Sonic and Tails, Shadow, Shadow and Amy and Mighty and the Mobian army, Tikal, Blaze, Knuckles and for the last song, Wave. Yep, Wave gets a song! Hooray? That's twelve different songs. Which are you most excited for? The Sonic and Tails duet which was the fan favourite last story, or perhaps another. Let me know in a review :)_

 _Finally, we hear both sides to the story. Much like life, each story has two sides because of differing perspectives and of course they are both very different. The hundred year time gap only adds to the level of uncertainty surrounding the veracity of both Razor's and Earthia's accounts of the thing. Which was it, Coral releasing the Leviathan and Dark Oak getting revenge, or Dark Oak slaughtering Coral and Striker getting revenge by sending out the Leviathan? That's for you to decide for now, and me to maybe reveal. But, like most battles and recounts of events, it's sometimes impossible to really know the truth as both parties really think that's what happens. Much like in real war, after a while sometimes both sides forget exactly why they were fighting and are only at war because of the hatred that had manifested for the other people due to the war. Either way, let me know in a review which side you are on. Vapos or Zuncon, Razor or Earthia, Land or Sea? And, as always, have a nice day and thanks for reading._

Next time on Sontails: War of Faith - Chapter 10: Land Vs. Sea


	10. Chapter 10: Land Vs Sea

_A/N: Hey everybody, sorry that these chapters always take so long to write but I actually have a reason this time. I had my one year anniversary of Sonic High so I had to write two chapters of that and since each chapter is like 8000 words it took a long time. Anyway, you came here to read so I'll shut up and let you do just that :)_

* * *

Chapter 10

Land Vs. Sea

The cruel, harsh sun beat down upon the barren earth with its unblinking, malevolent eye. Not trees sprouted from the earth. No shade being cast by their magnificent leaves to shield from the unrelenting heat. No critters scurried along the dusty rocks and those that remained slithered towards the boulder canyons to the south. The air was thick, dry and hazy. Billowing gusts picked up dust and peppered it through the air, blanketing the scarce shrubbery. To the untrained eye, nothing but a barren plain but to those privy to what event was about to unfold, it was the setting of nightmares. To the Vaposians, it was the last stretch of land separating Razor from the menacing talons of Earthia and her wicked offspring. To the Zuncons, it was their last line of defense from the crazed jaws of the warmongering shark. However, to Sonic and Tails, it was merely a small stretch of worthless sand that kept them apart for no longer.

The Zuncons kept to the shadows of the tree line, remaining hidden until the opportune moment to strike. Razor walked ahead of his army, steadily closing the gap as many aquatic animals, all different shapes and sizes marched behind him. However, two in his arsenal were slightly different. One violet feline strode of his left and a more confident sapphire hedgehog kept in step to his right. Abyss was not far behind. Earthia pushed her way past her people, her two daughters Galaxia and Cosmo close in tow. Her eyes widened as she saw the sheer number of enemy forces that were ebbing ever closer.

"Is that him?" Earthia whispered to the smaller golden fox that shuffled up next to her, the two echidnas close behind him. Tails simply nodded, unable to emit words from his mouth. He was too overcome to even move. "If you can prevent any death for peace then I'll owe you big time," she smiled down on him, placing her hand on his back and nudging him forward.

Knuckles' eyes widened as she saw her almost pushing him out into the battlefield, surprised by her forceful nature and complete disregard for the boy's safety.

"You can't just make him go out there!" he bellowed as loudly as he dared, making sure not to release the element of surprise.

"He has to. If he can convince Sonic and Razor to stop, nobody has to die today."

"But they might shoot him on sight."

"That's a risk we might have to take. I have faith in him."

"Tails, you don't have to do thi-" Knuckles began, turning to face the fox but to his amazement Tails had already taken that pivotal step out of the grove and stepped foot on the sand. The harsh juxtaposition between biomes caused momentary pause in his movements but after he adjusted to the almost surreal change in climate, he continued walking.

"Is that one of them? Should I fire?" Abyss asked, fire alight in the squid's eyes. Razor was ready for battle, his thirst for vengeance so close to being quenched after so long but upon looking at the boy walking towards them, he hesitated.

"Isn't that a Mobian?" the shark questioned but as he shifted his gaze to Sonic, he instantly understood.

"Tails…" the hedgehog whispered almost inaudibly under his breath. Before he knew what had overcome him, Sonic sprinted out of the lines of men. His eyes strained on the ever-growing image of Tails, the sun glistening off his fur and illuminated his sparkling azure pools. Tails seemed almost angelic to Sonic as he closed the gap between them. Sonic crashed into him, wrapping him tightly in his arms and lifting him off the ground to twirl Tails around in the air, a look of complete bliss and relief forming on Sonic's face.

"Sonic… it really is you," Tails breathed as the hedgehog placed him back on the ground. The two just stood inches apart, marveling each other as emerald got lost in azure. It was as if all the light in the world vanished leaving only a spotlight illuminating the two. Nothing else mattered. Not the war. Not Razor or Earthia. Not Blaze, Knuckles, Tikal, Shadow, Amy or even Vector. No, neither one could focus on anything accept the Mobian standing in front of them.

Tails let a shallow flow of tears cascade down the contours of his face, unable to believe that Sonic was truly alive, well and survived their run-in with the leviathan. Before Sonic had time to open his mouth to ask Tails what had happened, Tails flung his arms around the sapphire hedgehog and crashed his lips against Sonic's. Sonic immediately obliged, opening his gated teeth to allow Tails' slippery appendage entrance as he eagerly and greedily lapped around Sonic's mouth, enjoying the familiar taste of his saliva.

"Should… Should we do something?" Razor asked, not used to seeing this kind of affection between the same gender, let alone seeing any type of affection in the middle of a battleground.

"No, let them figure this out," Blaze replied, coupled with a chuckled as she saw the confusion on the normally tough exterior of Razor.

"What… what are you doing with them?" Sonic asked as he pulled back, gasping for breath. Tails cocked a head, confused.

"What are you doing with them?" He countered, slight venom in his voice after uttering the pronoun.

"They saved me from the Leviathan. Blaze too," Sonic answered.

"Yeah, the same Leviathan that _they_ released into the waters in the first place."

"Only because _their_ old ruler slaughtered Coral in front of Striker, Sonic fired back, anger evident in his voice.

"Dark Oak only killed Coral because she sent the Leviathan to kill his wife! Besides, Striker murdered Dark Oak afterwards anyway," Tails complained, not able to comprehend why Sonic would even think about siding with the barbaric Vaposians.

"Are they… arguing?" Tikal asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

"I knew this was a bad idea. Let's attack now before they get closer," Galaxia urged.

"Patience, my daughter," Earthia remained steadfast, still having hope in the young fox and hedgehog.

"I can't believe you are defending those warmongers," Sonic hissed. "They mercilessly slaughtered the Vaposians in a peaceful meeting and then hid in their little grove to watch the fireworks go off. If they tried to fight harder, maybe Large wouldn't have won so much land."

"Are you kidding me? Those barbarians sent a beast out into the waters just to cripple their own allies," Tails spat.

"This clearly isn't working," Razor grumbled to Blaze, dismissing her suggestion.

"This clearly isn't working," Galaxia complained to her mother who still didn't budge.

"Attack!" Both of them screamed simultaneously.

Sonic and Tails froze, their intense gaze slipping from each other to the surroundings as the line of Vaposians began to charge forward, weapons raised as an equally large group of Zuncons emerged from the shadows, firing. Sonic grabbed Tails, wrapping his arms protectively around the fox as waited for the barrage of bullets to shred through the two, killing them where they stand.

…

Wave sat in her office hidden deep within the mountains of Aves, shielded from the outside world and her Mobian pursuers by curtains of sheer rock ascending towards the heavens. She glanced around at the many monitors that circled her, each one showing more and more death and depression. To her left, she could see the front line, still lead by the crafty armadillo edging ever closer towards the capital of Aves. The one place she was sworn to protect and look after. To her right, she could see some of the people on the streets cowering. Praying for a miracle, holding their children tightly. All the people the Wave had let down.

She looked over towards a small desk situated next to the grand door. The empty chair haunting her. The same chair that used to house Fiona Fox, her next in command and best friends since the tragic demise of Jet and Storm.

"I started this all. My grief… my anger…" she lamented aloud, sighing. Her heart felt heavy, burdened by the tormented souls of the thousands of people that had lost their lives because of this war. What had started out as one grieving commander turned into a war of faith and a war of anger as communities came together to separate others.

"I need to fix this…"

…

Bullets soared through the air, flying at breakneck paces until they wedged themselves deep into the flesh of those that dared to get in their path. Blood spurted from open wounds. Soldiers fell to their knees crying out in pain as their comrades ran past their carcasses, vengeance on their minds. Bullets that missed their mark struck soil, sandy soil erupting from the impact and scattering across the ground. The air was thick with lead filled rain and Sonic and Tails were caught right in the middle of it all.

Without thinking, Sonic quickly grabbed Tails' hand and made a break for the boulder fields to the south, less than two-hundred meters from the epicenter of the ensuing battle. They dodged passed angry reptiles and fish, stepping over plant bodies as both sides began to sustain heavy casualties. Sonic and Tails raised their spar hands over their heads, keeping low to avoid the bullets. They had many near misses, lead soaring millimeters passed their heads, arms and legs but neither sustaining any injuries as they made it to the serenity of boulders.

"This way," Tails yelled as he took the lead, noticing a small hollow carved out in one of the boulders that lead down underneath the ground. The two descended the sandy ramp into a small cave like area. The smooth boulders of the great desert that separated Vapos, Zuncon and Macton acted as the ceiling above their heads, stalactites hanging precariously from the ceiling. The only light to be seen in the small came streaking through from the small entrance that they had arrived in. The two continued to shuffle their way through the darkness until they felt the thick rock walls at the back of the cave and crouched down.

The sound of the raging battle echoed through the cave. Tails shuddered each time he heard the blood-curdling screams of the soldiers and Sonic shivered each loud crack of gunfire. Sonic wrapped his arms protectively around Tails as they both waited out the battle, ashamed that their stubbornness and pride acted as a barrier between the two. If only they could have connected and explained the situation. If only they could have stopped the violence.

"Do… do you hear that?" Sonic whispered after a moment. Tails craned his neck and twitched his ears, straining them to hear what Sonic was talking about when he heard it. The faint sound of shoes crunching against sand progressively getting louder and louder.

"Some of them followed us," Tails whimpered.

"Get behind me," Sonic instructed as he held his arms out, shielding Tails as they both faced the small opening, waiting for the intruders who no doubt were sent to finish of the two for failing their mission. However, both boys let out a relieved sigh when they saw who descended from the surface.

"Thank Chaos you two are okay," Blaze sung out happily as she rushed over and flung her hands around both of them.

"You two scared us there for a minute when you got caught in the middle of all that," Knuckles added as he hopped down the opening and strode over to the two, placing a muscled hand on Sonic's bony shoulder.

"What happened back there? Why were you two yelling at each other?" Tikal asked, completely ruining the reunion of the four companions. Blaze stared back at her, rolling her eyes. Tikal was the one-person Blaze hadn't missed.

"It was dumb," Tails waved her off. "Let's just focus on what's important right now."

"He's right. We need to figure out how to stop this before they both kill each other. Whether we like them or not, both the Vaposians and the Zuncons are the only hope we have of defeating Vector," Sonic added.

"How did we get mixed up in all this mess?" Blaze sighed, her eyesight shifting from Sonic and Tails out towards Knuckles. She extended out his hand and he hesitantly slipped his in hers, squeezing.

"Love," Tails responded emotionally as he draped his arms over Sonic. Knuckles bit his bottom lip as he glanced at Tikal from the corner of his eye.

"Hey guys… I hate to break up the little foursome but you might wanna take a look at this," Tikal warned, her voice cracking in a grave tone as she stared out of the entrance. The four all exchanged worried glances before making their way over to the echidna, staring out into the desert and the horrific sight of the two nations at war with each other.

"It's horrible…" Blaze breathed.

"How can people still get so angry over such a trivial misconception one hundred years ago?" Knuckles added, only adding fuel to the guilt that was burning inside of both Tails and Sonic.

"No, I mean up there in the air," Tikal pointed. All gazes were raised upwards. They squinted until they noticed what Tikal was looking at. There, out in the sky, was a small metal device that looked like a drone gradually get larger and larger.

"What is it?" Tails marveled, intrigued by the strange mechanical marvel. They watched in awe as this strange contraption flew over the top of the raging battle and stopped above the epicenter, right where the front lines were clashing. That's when the middle of the drone opened and a spherical object began to drop through the sky, propelled by gravity as it hurtled towards the ground. They could hear inaudible commands from Razor and Earthia as all the people seemed to scatter but none were quick enough.

"GET DOWN!" Knuckles bellowed as he suffocated both Tikal and Blaze with his two arms and jumped backwards, his body landing on top of theirs and Sonic and Tails did the same. A large crack split the sky like Chaos was letting out a mighty growl. The ground shook like a mighty earthquake had rocked the desert and the boulders above the teenager's heads rumbled and shook. The blast radius of the bomb was small, but it's effects were extensive.

The last thing Tails, Sonic, Knuckles, Blaze and Tikal could remember before being knocked out by falling debris was the sound of stalactites crashing down and crumbling to dust as the light from the entrance way was snuffed out by rocks blocking the entrance and their little hiding spot caved in on itself.

…

"I have taken care of your cobalt problem once and for all. Talk soon," the luminescent neon blue hologram spoke in satisfaction before pressing a button and dissipated into the air.

Vector sat atop his steel throne in his cobblestone castle, one leg crossed over the other as he was deep in thought, smiling to himself. Slowly, the large door to the entrance of his throne room creaked open and a robed figure skulked in. Their body completely covered in the ashen fabric and their face completely obscured in shadows by the hood that draped over their head.

"You're late," he barked.

"I have news from the battle between Vapos and Zuncon. It has been aggravated by your son and Tails. They are alive and on the island," the cloaked figure began.

"Good work, but I already knew about this," he growled. "Don't worry, I have just been informed that they have been taken care of," he finished, the edge of his lips curving up into a smile as he showed his white teeth.

"What shall you have me do then? Go to pick up the pieces?" The figure asked.

"No, don't hassle yourself by going up north. I have another task for you to complete much closer to home," he grinned evilly.

"Anything you wish, Lord Vector."

* * *

 _A/N: Drones, bombs, war, cave-ins... they just can't seem to catch a break can they. Are they really dead? Well... obviously not but one of them might not be as okay as you think ;) And yeah, I know I've just introduced a second mystery character without revealing who the first one was yet but all in due time :) If you like my work and are sick of waiting for updates why not try out some of my other stories. I just released a new one (Yes I'm juggling with three different stories... you'd think I've learnt my lesson already but I guess not) so if you have some time why not give that a read, after leaving a review on this story of course :P And, as always, have a great day._

Next time on Sontails: War of Faith - Chapter 11: The Blame Game


	11. Chapter 11: The Blame Game

_A/N: Sorry for the long wait, I've been pretty busy with life but I told you I wouldn't forget about any of my stories. Not much to add here so, please, enjoy :)_

* * *

Chapter 11

The Blame Game

"No!" the frustrated swallow yelped, watching from some of her hidden cameras and lookouts throughout the great Avian canyon. She worried about the continued reinforcements that the Mobian army was garnering. "No, no, no, no!" She repeated again and again, running her talons through her tangled feathers. Stress and hopelessness were evident in the black bags underneath her red eyes.

"First Big kills Jet and Storm, then some new freak takes over and now Shadow has taken Fiona," Wave lamented as she wracked her brain, trying to come up with an answer to this conundrum. "Now it looks like all of Aves is about to be taken from me, too."

Wave paced around the room, her eyes darting from the grey floor to the buzzing monitors, a cloud of dread steadily hanging over her wherever she went. As reality descended upon her, she realized that there was no way to get out of this alive by herself.

"How did grandma do it?" She pondered aloud, a claw stroking her chin in contemplation. "Large took her land but she won it back. His forces were greater than Shadow's command yet she overcame him. How?" Suddenly it hit her, she clicked her fingers in triumph.

"That's it. She teamed up with the other communities. That's all I have to do," Wave grinned as she rushed over to the door of her command room and grabbed a thick, black leather coat from the wall and threw it over her broad shoulders.

"First stop, Vapos!"

…

Tails opened his eyes, or at least he thought he did. He couldn't see anything around him. It was all black, only darkness. He knew his eyes were open, as he blinked a few times but to no avail. That's when he realized something was strange. He was sitting up, but couldn't feel anything underneath him. No rock, no ground, nothing. It was almost like he was floating in air, except there was a distinct lack of air. He tried breathing in, sucking oxygen into his lungs but there was none around for him to take. However, he didn't feel like he was suffocating. He just didn't require the oxygen.

"Hello?" Tails called out, but there was no response. There was nothing. No sounds of people nearby, no sounds of wind billowing through the cave he assumed he was still in and not even the sound of his own breathing. Nothing. That's when he saw it. The unmistakable shade of blue. The thin, yet muscled long legs. The lanky arms and rugged torso. The messy and unkempt yet cool looking quills that draped down his back. The unmistakable smile that always made Tails melt and those eyes, the most beautiful sea of emerald he had ever seen. "Sonic?"

Just as the words escaped Tails' lips, Sonic's expression changed. No longer was he smiling. Instead, it was replaced by the most menacing and evil scowl Tails had ever seen his best friend make. His eyes changed to the wickedest and vile shade of crimson and his fur began to fade to a midnight black, starting from his heart and slowly seeping outwards as it contaminated his whole body. Suddenly, Sonic had transformed into the spitting image of none other than Shadow the Hedgehog. The ebony Sonic let out a low, blood curdling demonic scream, growling inaudible words like a phantom and then, all of a sudden, Sonic vanished into thin air. One second he was there, and the next he was gone.

"Sonic?!" Tails shouted as he shot up, his eyelids ascending quickly as he shot them open and panted heavily. His fur was coated in a thick layer of sweat as he scanned the surroundings. It was hard to see through the darkened atmosphere and the dust heavy air but he could just make out four other bodies lying on the floor. A few, thin rays of sunshine shone through the cracks in the blocked entranceway of the small cave. Tails remembered all that had happened. The battle, the cave they retreated into and seeing the small, metallic birds drop bombs onto the battlefield.

His pulse quickened as panic took ahold of him. He quickly pushed through the turbid air, thick with dust and over to Sonic. The hedgehog had a few bruises and cuts around his face and body but otherwise looked unharmed. Tails gently placed his hand against Sonic's face, rubbing his thumb gently in circles around his cheek as he whispered his name.

"Sonic."

"Wh-huh?" Sonic murmured as his head tilted from left to right. "T-Tails?"

"That's right. I'm right here, Sonic. I'm right by your side, like I said I always would be," Tails soothed. Sonic peeked open his eye, staring right at Tails who offered him a weak smile.

"What… what happened?" Sonic asked as he sat up, holding his pounding forehead which inflamed in pain at each heartbeat.

"I'd like to know as well," Knuckles murmured as he mirrored Sonic's actions but ceased when an immense jolt of pain shot up his left arm. Knuckles howled from the pain, wincing as he clutched his left arm with his right. His scream snapping both Blaze and Tikal awake. Upon seeing the injured echidna, both girls rushed to his side, inspecting the damage.

"I don't see any bleeding," Tikal spoke in a panicked tone, not know what to do or say to help Knuckles who was muttering curse words under his breath to deal with the nearly agonizing pain.

"Here, let me take a look at it," Blaze commanded, a confident tone drifting on the words, surprising everybody.

"Do you know what you're doing?" Knuckles asked, unsure whether to trusts Blaze as she glanced at him.

"Knuckles, trust me," Blaze urged. Knuckles glanced at her, his indigo eyes molding with her amber ones before he nodded.

"I trust you."

"Mum's a doctor, remember," she chuckled, trying to lighten the mood as she poked and prodded his arm, seeing how far it would bend but to each movement Knuckles let out another shriek of pain.

"Stop being such a baby," Sonic laughed. Knuckles scowled, picking up a small pebble with his good arm and hurling it at the hedgehog, unamused.

"Maybe now isn't the best time," Tails chimed in. "Here, help me try to get some of these boulders out of the way. Maybe we can create a hole to squeeze through this blockade."

"Tikal, go help them," Blaze instructed as she looked around the cave for anything to help stabilize the bones in Knuckles arm. She tried to argue at first but after a couple growls, Tikal begrudgingly plodded over to the two teenagers to help find a way out of the cave.

"Sorry Knuckles, I can't find anything," Blaze frowned. "You'll just have to deal with the pain until we can get back to civilization.

"Great," Knuckles rolled his eyes sarcastically.

"Maybe this will help," Blaze smirked as she leant over and pressed her lips against his, the soft sensations rushing up his spine. Knuckles couldn't help but enjoy the kiss, missing the feeling she used to so easily instill in him when they were trapped on the island.

After helping him to his feet, his broken arm hanging limply in the air as his stronger arm was draped around Blaze's shoulders, the two waddled over to the rest of the group who were throwing stones all over the place, tunneling through the cave in.

Finally, as both Sonic and Tails grabbed one of the larger boulders and managed to roll it away, the rest of the blockage began to rumble and, eventually, crumble away to reveal an entranceway big enough for all of them to comfortably squeeze through. Well, as comfortably as Knuckles could handle.

They tried to scan the horizon, but none of them were able to see more than ten feet ahead of them. The whole desert was clouded in a thick layer of sand and dust that had been disturbed from the many explosions that rocked the area. It was so dense, the atmosphere around them seemed to be a mesh of orange and yellow. Sonic took the first tentative step out, covering his mouth with his hand to avoid unnecessary sand inhalation. He coughed a few times as he tried to look around. Tails stood next and began to follow when Sonic turned around to halt him.

"Stay here. We don't know who else might be out there," Sonic warned. "I'll call for you if the coast is clear, but it'd be better if we take caution and only send one of us out."

"But Sonic-"

"This is not up for debate. Wait until I call," he commanded forcefully and Tails nodded obediently, remaining in the cave. He watched with worry as Sonic's figure disappeared into the turbid war ground. Tails felt a hand placed on his shoulder. He turned to see a sympathetic, warm smile flashed his way by Blaze.

"Don't worry, he'll be just fine." The four waited, ears hunting for the sound of Sonic's call to signal everything is good when suddenly a loud shout was heard.

"Tail-" There was no doubting it. It was Sonic. It didn't sound like the call they were looking for. His words sounded panicked, like a call for help. Tails jumped up and bolted out into the blinding sea of sand, ignoring the warning call of Blaze, Tikal and Knuckles. All he could think of was Sonic. The worst scenarios were running through his head. Captured, silenced, shot? Suddenly, without warning Tails collided headfirst with the sapphire speedster.

"Ouch," Tails moaned as he rubbed his forehead. "S-Sorry, Sonic."

"Tails, I thought I told you to wait inside," Sonic growled uncharacteristically.

"But I heard your call and you sounded like you were in trouble," Tails replied instinctively wrapping his arms around Sonic. Sonic squirmed in the grasp before pushing the fox off him. Tails looked up at him, eyes filled with hurt.

"Right, I did call. I just think the coast is clear, I guess," Sonic shrugged.

"Tails, Sonic, are you two alright?" Blaze asked as she emerged from the dust, Knuckles still draped around her arm with Tikal in tow.

"Oh great, the whole gang is here," Sonic rolled his eyes, annoyed.

"What's gotten into him?" Knuckles asked rhetorically, still focused on the pain shooting up and down his left arm.

"I don't know, but we should get out of here incase whoever sent those drones is coming back for a second round," Tails remarked as he slipped his palm into Sonic's, wrapping his fingers around the hedgehog's. Sonic growled, retracting his hand away.

"Don't touch me!"

"Sonic?"

"Dude, what's up with you?" Knuckles asked.

"Look around," Sonic said somberly, his eyes glazed over and hazy. His iris' dim and foggy, like he wasn't really there. Like he was a shell of himself, unable to come to terms with what he was seeing. The dust was slowly receding, peppering back down onto the sandy earth beneath them but with each new meter visible was another bunch of dead, bloodied bodies. "All this… So much death, so much destruction. Countless bodies piled on top of each other. Each one, a life. A person with a family, with friends, with a life. And now it's ended, all because of a stupid war."

"But Sonic, we are trying to end this war," Tails pointed out.

"Are we? Because last I checked all this death… all this destruction… it was all our doing! No. It was all you're doing. This is all _your_ fault," malice dripped from his tongue as venom laced his words.

"My fault?" Tails gasped, baffled by just how suddenly Sonic turned on him. "Don't blame me for this. It was both of us, and now we can fix this."

"Both of us? Last I checked, you were the one who confessed to loving me. You were the one who first kissed me. You were the one who caused everything!"

"But-"

"Because of you, Big targeted me. Because of you, Wave, Jet and Storm came to that stupid park. Because of you, Big slaughtered Jet and Storm and therefore, because of you, Wave started this war. Because of you loving me, my own father wants me dead. Because of you, Vector fought back. So, because of you, all this death happened," Sonic raged, each word stinging Tails more and more.

"Sonic… you can't mean that… you can't be serious," Tails whimpered.

"I've never been more serious."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Blaze piped up, unhooking herself from Knuckles and letting him lean on Tikal for support as she took a cautious step forward, trying to defuse the situation and lower tensions. "Let's not say things we can't take back. Sonic, I know this is a lot but you just need to calm down and-"

"Calm down? How's this for calm?" He yelled, pulling out a gun that he had concealed and trained it at Tails. He began rambling, almost to the point of insanity as his hand trembled, his finger itching on the trigger. Tikal and Blaze gasped whilst Knuckles just steeled his face, unsure what to do due to his current condition.

"S-Sonic…" Tails tried to keep his nerve but the hurt and betrayal plastered across his face was too hard to miss. His heart thudded in his chest, fear fueling his next actions.

"Don't _S-Sonic_ me," Sonic mimicked Tails' quiet pleading. "You did this to yourself. You caused all this. I just wanted to live my life but no, that wasn't good enough for you. You wanted more! Well, maybe this can save everybody. Maybe if I kill you and show dad that I did it, he'll forgive me. Maybe he'll call off his forces and we can go back to being peaceful again.

"Sonic… please, this isn't you. Snap out of it," Tails begged, tears streaming down his face and dripping from his chin, staining his golden fur.

"This is the me I have to be."

"Sonic… I love you," Tails cried out as he clenched his eyes shut tightly and flinched as he heard the ear-splitting sound of a gun. Crack!

Tails waited for the shredding pain as the lead rips though his body, puncturing his already broken heart, but he felt none. Cautiously, he peered open one eye but could only gasp when he saw what had happened. There, lying in front of him, her white dress soaked a deadly shade of crimson, lay Earthia, Queen of Zuncon.

"Fucking plants," Sonic growled as Blaze ran up to him and swatted the pistol out of his hands. "Always ruin everything." Tails just stood there, unable to comprehend what had just happened as he saw the cobalt hedgehog turn and flee into the dusty distance, his tracks covered by the sand.

"Mother!" A high-pitch shriek sounded from the distance. Blaze, Tikal and Knuckles all whipped their heads around to see two plants rush into the area, ignoring everybody else to slide down to the ground next to Earthia.

"Cosmo…" she choked, her eyes opening as they began to pale and cloud over. She turned her head, moaning in pain as any attempt of moving caused pain. "And my dear Galaxia."

"Mother… save your strength," Galaxia responded, her voice shaky. She held her mother's hand in her own, trying to steel her nerves and stay strong.

"Please don't die," Cosmo sniffed, not as in control of her feelings as tears were streaming down her face, cascading from her puffy red eyes.

"I… I need both of you to be… brave… for me," Earthia forced the words out, the colour draining from her face as the life faded from her body.

"We won't have to because you will be there to help us be brave," Galaxia explained, her face emotionless and distant.

"That's my girl… already brave," Earthia smiled. "You were always my… my tough little girl. You could… take on the whole world… I know that strength will make you a great… leader." Earthia gritted her teeth and squeezed Earthia's hands. She turned her head back to Cosmo, letting a groan escape her mouth. "And my little Cosmo."

"Mummy," Cosmo whimpered, sniffing the snot back into her nose. She was quickly becoming a mess.

"My darling, sweet Cosmo… you were always so… so kind. You could… always see the best in people… I know that compassion will also make you a… great leader." Cosmo continued to cry, blubbering and pleading, begging her mother not to die as she squeezed her other hand.

"You have both made me… so proud," she whispered, her voice growing fainter as the life left her eyes. "You will both be… great leaders for… Zuncon. I… love… you… both…" she choked out before her head fell limp and her eyelids grew heavy and shut, a smile on her face as she left.

"Mother?" Galaxia croaked."

"Mummy!" Cosmo shrieked into the sky, her emotions completely taking ahold of her. Tails, Knuckles, Blaze and Tikal all watched on, not sure what to say.

"It came from over here," a feminine, controlling voice called out. Blaze instantly recognized it, knowing that it belonged to that of Abyss the Squid.

"Let's get Earthia and her children," the gruff voice of Razor called out through the dust, loud and angry. "She killed all of our men!"

"We need to get out of here, now!" Knuckles called to the two girls and his companions.

"Leave? Never. I'll kill Razor for what he did!" Galaxia cried out, anger taking ahold of her. Cosmo said nothing, unable to move.

"Blaze, get Cosmo and I'll get Galaxia. We need to go," Tikal cried. Blaze nodded, as they both acted, grabbing the two girls, leaving Knuckles to fend for himself. Suddenly, a few Zuncon forces rushed out from behind, drawn to their position by Cosmo's shrieks. Upon seeing the deceased body of their leader and the steadily increasing sounds of boots closing in on them, their training took over. Lumina and the other troops who survived the blast scooped up Earthia's body, along with the distraught Cosmo and raging Galaxia and retreaded backwards. Tikal grabbed Knuckles and followed behind, Blaze following shortly after when she stopped short.

"Tails, c'mon," she called, noticing he still stood still, like a zombie. A shell of his former self. She sighed, groaning as she grabbed his wrist and pulled. His legs began to run, following her although his face didn't change at all. He couldn't think, couldn't talk. All he could do was let himself get guided by Blaze as they all retreated back to the safety of the Zuncon grove.

…

Vector sat in his throne room, his face shrouded in darkness as he brooded, the gears in his head spinning as he was deep in thought. The disk-like device that he held in his hands began to blink red and he tossed it across the room, watching it skid to a halt before a bright flash of blue light illuminated the room, revealing a hologram of the masked figure.

"What news have you got for me?" Vector barked, fed up of waiting. His plans were accelerating perfectly, almost ahead of schedule but it had been a few days since he had last heard from his accomplice. "Did it all work?"

"Everything went according to plan," the figure stated happily. "The drones were dispatched and the battlefield was bombed."

"And what of the casualties?" Vector demanded.

"We are unsure who survived. We must wait for the dust to settle but I think our Zuncon and Vapos problems are all but solved," the figure laughed darkly. "Have you acquired Aves' capital yet?"

"Almost, I just need to do one last thing with my two generals before I send them back out for the final march."

"Excellent."

"Yes, it seems everything is going according to plan," Vector grinned.

* * *

 _A/N: Sonic, turned evil? Blaming Tails? How could he have done that? What happened? I'd love to hear all of your theories :P Yes, with all of them surviving the explosion, although not all coming out unscathed as Knuckles left arm is now completely broken, they escaped. However, when Sonic couldn't take seeing all the death, he turned on Tails and killed Earthia. I hope you all enjoyed her death scene, I worked hard to make the family connections between her and her two daughters believable and real so this scene would pack more of a punch rather than if I didn't take the time to develope their characters. Some of you questioned why these seemingly side characters were getting so much developement, well this is why. Don't worry, we haven't seen the last of Galaxia or Cosmo, or even Razor or Abyss. We still have another 13 chapters to go! And yes, Wave has decided to set off on her own quest to reunite the four tribes like her ancestors did 100 years ago, but will Razor believe her or be antagonized by her, considering his act first ask questions second nature._

 _Also, don't forget that chapter 13 will be the big musical chapter. And I'm pleased to reveal all the 12 songs that I will be parodying this time (yes all songs have been written and finished!) In no particular order... Still Breathing, Jar of Hearts, Emperors New Clothes, LA Devotee, Strangers, Ride, Mr. Brightside, Battlefield, Not Afraid, Who Knew, Be Prepared and What I'm Made of! So, get hyped :P_

 _Please, if you enjoyed this chapter don't forget to reveiw to let me know what you think and don't forget to answer the question of the day :) And, as always, thanks for reading._

 _QotD: Who are your favourite group of side characters? The Vaposians (Razor and Abyss), The Zuncons (Earthia, Galaxia and Cosmo), The Avians (Wave and Fiona) or the Mobians (Vector, Shadow and Amy)._

Next time on Sontails: War of Faith - Chapter 12: Shard


	12. Chapter 12: Shard

_A/N: I've recieved some complaints about how apparently out of character and ridiculous Sonic's sudden transformation was last chapter. Guys, I've mapped out this whole story before I even started it, this was planned from the beginning. I need you to trust that I know what I'm doing and will deliver an engaging story for you to enjoy, just be patient. But, just because that cliffhanger was quite evil of me, I decided to quickly write this chapter just so you won't have to wait. And, by the end of this, we will officially be half way through the story! Hooray! Now, please enjoy :)_

* * *

Chapter 12

Shard

The birds chirped quietly, perched on the wiry branches weaving their way through the lush mangroves. Their songs gloomier, paralleling the aura of sadness that had washed over the inhabitants of the wooden house. Cosmo and Galaxia had closed themselves off in the planning room and were left to their grief for a bit. Tails had wondered off by himself that night to think things through. Blaze had decided to go for a walk with him around the grove to help him come to terms with what they had witnessed and what Sonic had said the previous day. The sun began to sink as cool afternoon breezes wafted from the salty ocean down the winding river. Tikal and Knuckles sat side by side, their feet dangling off the deck of the house and their legs were submerged in the murky water from the knees downwards.

"How's the arm?" Tikal asked, breaking the silence. She raised her arm and placed it gently over Knuckles, rubbing it slowly as she beamed him a warming smile. His broken arm was propped up with a make-shift sling. A large, flat leaf was fashioned into the material that his healing limb rested in while a thin piece of vine held it in place, tied in a knot over his shoulder.

"It feels a lot better now thanks to you," Knuckles thanked appreciatively. "Thanks again for helping me get back here in one piece."

"Please, I wasn't going to abandon you out here. Besides… Blaze had her hands full with Tails so I was just trying to be useful," she sighed, her gaze shifting to looking over the still waters.

"Hey," Knuckles placed the thumb of his good arm under her chin and spinning her head to face him, her eyes filled with doubt. "Don't say that. You are useful. We need you, despite what Blaze says, she's just guarded after what happened to Silver. If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't all be here right now."

"Yeah, and if it wasn't for me Sonic wouldn't have gone crazy and Earthia might still be alive," Tikal cursed herself under her breath, slamming her fist into the wood beneath her, small fragments of the sticks splintering off and plunging into the water underneath them.

"Tiks, c'mon don't speak like that. None of this is your fault. You've been nothing but helpful. I know everybody hates you and doesn't trust you but… but I do. I don't know why but when I look into your eyes, the eyes I had fallen in love with I know the truth and I'll keep defending you no matter what," Knuckles spoke from the heart. Tikal stared back, amazed at his kindness as her eyes filled with love of the purest sense.

"You… you called me Tiks again. You haven't called me that since before you broke up with me."

"Well, I think you've earned the right to be called Tiks again," Knuckles soothed warmly. Tikal began to close her eyes, tilting her head as she began to lean in and close the gap between the two. Knuckles hand was still on her chin whilst hers was still placed gently on his broken arm. Knuckles began to close his eyes as well when suddenly the dreary voice of Tails broke the romantic silence.

"Hey guys," he spoke in a depressed tone, almost coming out as a moan than anything else as it seemed painful for him to even get the words out. Knuckles snapped away from Tikal to look at him. His gaze was cast downwards at his feet, his shoulders sagged over. "Galaxia and Cosmo want to talk about what our next move is and they want you two. Blaze is already in there with them. I think they've decided to put their grieving aside until after the war," he sighed as he turned and dragged his feet back into the house, not once looking up or letting any enthusiasm into his voice.

"Well… we should get going," Knuckles coughed awkwardly as he stood up, wincing slightly in pain as his arm knocked against his side.

"Yeah… I guess so," Tikal sighed, missing her opportunity as she obediently fell into step behind Knuckles as they entered the house. The two make a sharp left and enter the small room with the large, central circular table where they first met the Zuncon trio. However, this time, only Galaxia and Cosmo stood at the opposing end, a sour frown plastered across both of their faces despite clearly being in the middle of an argument. Blaze looked defeated and exhausted, trying to stop the fighting as she always does.

"We are all still sad about Earthia but we can't let that tear us apart," she tried to reason with Galaxia who had begun to get more and more worked up.

"Why don't you stay out of it," she snapped, throwing an icy cold glare towards the surprised cat.

"Hey, don't talk to her that way," Knuckles growled, moving from Tikal's side towards Blaze defensively.

"If it wasn't for her and that stupid hedgehog mother wouldn't be dead, would she?!" Blaze and Knuckles turned towards Tails to see if he would show any kind of angry reaction but he just sighed, staring blankly ahead of him.

"Galaxia, enough!" Cosmo shouted, startling everybody. Her features stern, her eyes narrow. "We can't start turning on each other."

"Oh great, of course you would choose their side," Galaxia snorted in protest.

"I'm not choosing sides. I'm trying to keep us all on the same side."

"Do you know how to keep us all on the same side?" Galaxia asked rhetorically. "If we gather our troops and attack whoever sent those drones. We need to get our revenge."

"No, we don't. Galaxia, don't you see this isn't what mother would have wanted. She wanted peace, despite what Coral and Striker did and despite what Aves and Sonic have done. Vengeance is not the answer. We need to stay peaceful like she always taught us."

"You are so annoying sometimes. Fine, you wanna be like that? Be my guest! I'm out of here," Galaxia bellowed as she turned and stomped out of the room. Cosmo called after her, giving chase, leaving only Tails, Blaze, Knuckles and Tikal left in the room.

"Tails…" Blaze probed gently. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Tails whispered with a nod, barely audible. "I just hope Sonic is okay…" Knuckles and Tikal exchanged worriedly glances. "…Wherever he is."

…

Sonic shot his eyes open, his senses suddenly flooding back into him as he became instantly alert. As he rose to a sitting position, he felt an intense pain shoot up to his head, pounding loudly with each beat of his heart and race of his pulse. He held his forehead with the palm of his hand, wincing in pain. He traced the quills draping down his back, up to the back of his head where he felt a slight bump, clearly caused by something smacking him from behind.

"What the hell…" he mouthed aloud as he tried to recall anything but he could not. He remembered hiding in a cave and an explosion. He remembered being woken up and leaving the cave to make sure the coast was clear and nothing else. Nothing after calling to Tails.

"Tails!" Sonic exclaimed as he jumped up, ignoring the pain as his reflexes kicked in. He scanned the room he was in, expecting to see nothing but sand and dust but to his surprise, he was in a small, white room. He looked down, noticing that he was lying on soft, satin sheets. A small table was situated next to him holding nothing more than a glass of water. It seemed like a normal room with wardrobes, an ensuite bathroom, carpet and a couch in the corner facing out towards a circular window.

Curious, Sonic waltzed over to the window to look out but the view that he saw took his breath away. His eyes sparkled in the evening sun as he gaped at the impossible city that lay before him. From out the window, high up he scanned the horizon. A multitude of houses lined the streets, all built out of steel. People walked the sidewalks, but they weren't sidewalks and… they weren't people. The ground beneath them was a conveyer belt, moving what appeared to be half animal, half machines from their houses to places of business. Neon lights flashed, brightening the whole city whilst gigantic jumbotrons illuminated the streets, advertising for whoever paid the most. Sonic glanced skywards, marveling at the zeppelins that soared overhead, tethered to the taller buildings. Steam and smoke rose from the tall chimney stacks that protruded from the many houses and what appeared to be factories. Fake, steel trees line the sliver of the streets that weren't moving, positioned in the sandy soil.

'How could a city like this be sustained in the middle of a desert?' Sonic thought to himself as he heard the door behind him slowly creak open and he whipped his head around, wincing again from another flash of pain.

"Ah, I see somebody is finally awake," A friendly voice sounded from the door. Sonic gasped, not able to believe his eyes. Standing in front of him was the spitting image of his old teacher, and purple chameleon, Espio. The only difference was his strange attire. He wore tight fitting red and yellow mechanical armor with thick, green boots and a blue visor that covered his eyes.

"Wh-who are you?" Sonic asked, unsure whether or not to trust this strange creature. Everything was so unfamiliar to him. So new, so advanced. His head was still reeling from the bump.

"My name is Zespio," Zespio responded with a smile, chuckling at Sonic's surprise as he continued. "If you would, our leader is simply dying to meet you." Sonic hesitated, turning to look back at the bed that he had woken up from. These people didn't seem hostile, and if he was back in Mobius he would have already been killed so he decided to accompany Zespio. He was lead down a grand, spiral staircase and through winding corridors. Eventually, he was lead to a large set of doors and instructed to enter. After thanking Zespio, Sonic carefully slipped through the doors and stopped to marvel at what he saw.

He was standing in the middle of a large, circular room. Marble floors extended out to the towering walls. A gigantic screen lined the end of the wall and a grey metallic circle lay underneath it. Suddenly, the ground beneath Sonic began to rumble as the floor opened up, sharp triangles receding into the walls as a metallic hedgehog rose on a platform. Once the gears stopped turning and the room ceased to shake, the hedgehog in question took a step forward, a smile plastered on his steel muzzle. His casing and quills were painted black, golden streaks running up his head as a dazzling emerald was situated in the middle of his stomach.

"Greetings. My name is Shard and I am the leader of our fine city. We don't often get guests. How do you like Macton?" Shard addressed Sonic as he took a couple more steps forward until they were barely standing a meter apart.

"M-Macton?" Sonic babbled like an idiot, not able to believe what I was hearing. "How did I end up here?"

"Our drones were out patrolling our borders when we noticed a Vaposian army marching far too close for comfort. After scanning their movements and following them, we waited until they saw you, and a smaller fox meet in the middle before a Zuncon army emerged from the tree line," Shard said stoically. "I was unaware diplomatic relations were that poor."

"Diplomatic relations?" Sonic repeated. "Mr. Shard, we are in the middle of a war. How did you not know?"

"A war," Shard responded in a grave tone, his attitude and demeanor noticeably changing. "Now that is troubling. We were unaware until we saw the Vaposians. Although they always were the warmongers," Shard pointed out. "And please, just call me Shard."

"Razor isn't a warmonger," Sonic hissed, but changed his tone after noticing Shard's ugly response to his rudeness. "Sorry, but please, Shard, I was on the battlefield and then I ended up here. What happened?"

"Well after those dastardly Avians sent their flying machines to bomb everybody, my scouts had to take cover."

"Wait, Wave sent those drones?" Sonic gasped, thinking back to the somewhat brash swallow that helped save his and Tails' life back when Big attacked them at the park.

"Wave, hmm? And Razor? You address them so informally and personally like you know of the leaders of Aves and Vapos. You are quite the well-travelled young man. Tell me, what were you doing in Aves and Vapos?"

"You haven't told me how I got here?" Sonic replied stubbornly.

"I'll explain once you tell me how you ended up there," Shard replied, not budging. From the looks of him, Sonic assumed he wasn't one who was easily bargained with so with a sigh, he admitted defeat and explained everything that had happened to him, including how Big slaughtered Wave's friends, how they ended up on the island, how they were attacked by the leviathan and ended up separated at opposite ends of the land and how Razor agreed to help them.

"That is a troubling story indeed," Shard nodded, his fingers stroking his chin as he finished listening to Sonic regale the tale.

"Now, please, how did I end up here?"

"Once the dust cleared a little, my scouts went to investigate the scene and see if anybody survived. They discovered you passed out in the middle of the desert and after checking your vitals, they noticed you were still alive and so they brought you back here."

"Just me? Did they see anybody else?" Sonic asked, hope in his eyes.

"If I were you, I wouldn't ask questions you're not prepared to hear the answers to," Shard responded wisely.

"I need to know. I've been through too much. Where are my friends. What happened to Tails?"

"I'm sorry…" Shard sighed, his expression turning grave. "My scouts did discover some others around you but… well I don't know how to put this." Sonic leant in, needing to know, still clinging to his last shred of hope. Shard closed his eyes, lowered his head and whispered silently, his words laced with empathy. "I'm sorry, Sonic, but your friends are dead."

Sonic froze. He went numb as his arms fell limp beside him. He lost control of his senses. All sound was drowned out and the light in front of him grew dark and distant. He could feel nothing, taste nothing and feel nothing. It was like his whole world had come tumbling down around him and his heart cracked in two, being replaced by nothing but an empty void.

"All we went through," he said, his voice barely louder than an incoherent whisper. "All we fought for and everything I did to find him again… It was all for…" he trailed off before finally finishing. "…nothing."

"I'm terribly sorry, Sonic. Please, if there is anything I can do for you, don't hesitate to ask. I know this must be difficult news to hear."

"I'd just like to be left alone."

"Of course," Shard nodded, calling for Zespio. "Zespio will take you back to your room. If you get hungry at any point, I'll be sitting down to eat at about six and you're more than welcome to join me." Sonic nodded, his eyes distant and hazy as he turned and skulked off behind the metallic chameleon like a zombie, his feet dragging across the marble floor.

"That was harsh," a voice spoke up. Shard raised his head, his eyes glinting as a small smirk crossed his face.

"I told the boy what he needed to hear," Shard responded. "Now, what news do you have? Did they fall for it, Zonic?" A silhouetted figure slipped through the door and stepped out of the shadows, artificial light illuminating his face. He looked exactly like Sonic, if not for the similar style armour that he donned and the helmet fixed to his head.

"It worked like a charm," Zonic smiled. "But you weren't kidding," he continued, amazed. "I saw the prisoner pass me when going back to his room and he looks exactly like me, just with bad fashion sense."

"Please, prisoner is such a harsh word. I'd prefer guest."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Zonic shrugged, eliciting a growl from Shard.

"I'd watch your tone if I were you," Shard breathed, containing his anger as he returned to his stoic speaking voice. "Now, did you eliminate the boy?"

"Well, not exactly. Earthia protected him and died in his place," Zonic admitted.

"What a fortunate and unexpected turn. With no leader, Zuncon is all but done for and with Aves on its last leg, this war is almost over."

"But what of the boy and his little friends?"

"They will be too distraught over being shot at by his special little Sonic that he won't be able to stand in our way," Shard smiled victoriously. "Now prepare my ship, I have a stop I need to fly to." Zonic nodded, bowing before he fled out of the room to begin Shard's preparations.

…

"How long do we have to wait," the fidgeting hedgehog sighed, glossing over her nails as she tried to stave away the boredom.

"How about you shut up for five minutes, you insolent child," Vector barked back. Amy frowned as she turned her head. Vector had called her into his throne room hours ago to discuss something with her but he had insisted they wait for Shadow to check back in. Vector growled as he drummed his lanky fingers against the material of his throne impatiently. Finally, as if on cue, the large double doors to his throne room creaked open and Shadow slipped inside.

"Sorry I'm late," Shadow bowed politely as he walked up. Amy scoffed, shooting him daggers but he just returned the gesture with a stare of his own, dark, distant and filled with malice and hate.

"Where have you been," Vector growled.

"I had to detain Fiona. We captured her and I will be back to interrogate her shortly. Our jailers are looking after her for now," Shadow replied, turning his attention back to the imposing crocodile.

"Good work, but never mind her for now. I have something I need to show both of you but we must wait on one more."

"Are you serious?" Amy groaned, rolling her eyes.

"Shut up," Shadow and Vector both hissed back at her.

"I'm here, my lord," a dark yet somehow strangely innocent voice purred from the door. Shadow and Amy whipped their heads over where they saw a cloaked figure, hood obscuring their face, stroll into the room.

"Don't keep me waiting in future," Vector responded. "You have news from the battle?"

"Sonic killed Earthia but Razor is still alive," the figure responded.

"Sonic is here?!" Shadow and Amy both cried out simultaneously, turning their attention to the rogue.

"Where is he? Is he coming here? I need to see Sonic," Amy regurgitated question after question, refusing to pause for an answer.

"Is he still with Tails? Are they still happy? Have they been torn apart yet?" Shadow bombarded them with his own questions, hoping that their misery would fill him with joy.

"Both of you, shut up, now!" Vector commanded as he rose, his presence filling the room. Shadow and Amy both silenced, frustrated but obedient. "Now that all three of you are here, I have something I would like to share with you," he continued ominously as he forced them to follow him. He exited the throne room and lead them down to a small, secluded rusted door. He threw it open and entered a smaller room. He input a code on a small keypad before the glass in front of them slid open and he descended down a stone, spiral staircase. Shadow, Amy and the rogue followed in step, curious as to where they were heading until they arrived at their destination and all gasped.

Vector stepped aside to let them marvel at what they could see. The room had extended as the cobblestone, grey walls transitioned into those of white marble. Screens, desks and vats lined the room with tubes running in and out of beacons, green liquid seeping between them. Large cylinders stood attacked by brackets to the wall, green gas wisping and swirling around inside their glass casings.

"Is that…" Amy gaped, trailing off.

"Big's serum?" Shadow finished.

"Indeed," Vector grinned triumphantly. "When visiting the church a couple months ago, I discovered a secret little laboratory underneath that Big had been experimenting in. I found a sample of the serum and created this lab to run some tests on it. With this equipment, I was able to change the serum that forces you to kill the ones you love into a gaseous form. I will then unleash this on the other tribes, causing them all to turn on each other in a murderous rampage and march my army on the wreckage, finally completing what Large set out to do one hundred years ago," he laughed.

"But how could you have done all this?" Amy enquired.

"How were you able to find this equipment and use it all to alter the serum's chemistry?" Shadow added.

"He had a little help," a voice gloated from behind. Shadow, Amy and the cloaked figure all turned around to see somebody standing at the entrance of the steps. "Sorry, how rude of me not to introduce myself," they smiled as they stepped forward. The hedgehog closed the distance between them, stepping into the luminescent, artificial glow of the headlights above them. The hedgehog's metal skin reflected off the light, his steel muzzle plastered with a permanent grin, his black and yellow pained shell glossy and immaculate. "My name is Shard, leader of Macton. Nice to meet you."

"Macton." The cloaked figure smiled, finally able to piece everything together.

"I admit everything in this room is curtesy of Shard here. Together, our strong alliance formed can help rid the world of the useless, Iblis worshiping tribes and we can split the land, fifty-fifty."

"Indeed. Also, I have news of Sonic," Shard chuckled darkly when Shadow and Amy immediately leant in closer. "I have him. He is a guest in my home back at Macton. He seems a bit defeated though, the poor thing thinks all of his friends are dead. Don't worry, he trusts me. I'll be sure to deliver him straight to you. You know how people get when they start on paths to revenge."

"Perfect," Vector nodded. "I need you to return back to Macton. Something is still not quite right with the serum and we can't figure out why," Vector grumbled as he picked up a small object encasing a sample of the serum and handed it to Shard who took it eagerly. "Once you figure it out, we can finally unleash it on the land."

"I'll have it done by week's end. Nice to see you again, I should be off. Sonic is waiting for me," he said his goodbyes as he turned to exit, ignoring the flabbergasted expressions of Amy and Shadow.

"Now Shadow, Amy, I need you to go back to the front lines, taking our remaining troops and meet with Mighty. You take Aves' capital tomorrow," he commanded.

"But Vector, I need to be here when Sonic arrives," Shadow argued but was silenced by a guttural growl from Vector.

"No but's! You can return once Aves is ours and I will hear nothing more unless you want me to strip you of your title," Vector threatened. Shadow held his tongue angrily as he nodded before forcefully gripping Amy's wrist, ignoring her pained arguments and pulled her out of the room leaving Vector alone with the cloaked figure.

"And what of me?"

"I have a very special task for you…"

* * *

 _A/N: Well there you have it. It wasn't SOnic at all, but was Zonic the whole time mascarading as our favourite blue hedgheog. Poor Tails, he thinks his true love has turned against him and tried to kill him. Knuckles is suddenly recalling his original feelings for Tikal and Blaze is too busy trying to keep the peace between Cosmo and Galaxia to do anything about it, allowing her jealousy to stew inside of her without making any moves. (Yes, Knuckles talking to Tikal about how he likes her despite everybody hating her was a tongue and cheek comment that was supposed to be me adressing you guys :P Give her a chance, haha) Whilst Sonic is stuck in Macton with Shard, somebody who tricked him into believing Tails is dead to earn his trust. Shadow and Amy return to the front lines to begin the final march on Aves whilst Vector has delivered the mysterious Rogue to carry out a secret task. Whilst all this is happening, Wave has set out on her own quest and her first stop, Vapos. All the pieces are ready going into the second half of the story and for our big musical episode which is next! HYPE! I hope you all enjoyed this longer chapter and are looking forward to the musical. This will take some time to write so please be patient with me because I want it to be done right. And as always, don't forget to leave a review, answer the QotD and i'll see you back here for the second half of WoF :)_

 _QotD: How did you like the big reveal of the new, true villain of the story alongside Vector, the malicious Macton leader Shard? Are you looking forward to seeing what he has planned for our heroes going into the second half of the story?_

Next time on Sontails: War of Fait - Chapter 13: Sontails 2: The Musical


	13. Chapter 13: Sontails: The Musical 2

_A/N: Hey Everybody. I'm so, so sorry for the looooong wait (what was it, about 2 months?) I've just been really busy recently, I haven't been able to do any writing. I'm currently working 2 jobs and going for an interview for a third one, plus uni started back up last week and I'm already swamped with assignments. And in the free time I do get where I'm not at work or doing uni work, I try to hang out with my friends and make some time for them. Also I've been bingewatching a bunch of new television shows at nights. I just watched all 6 seasons of lost and am on season 3 of it's always sunny in philadelphia (Both amazing shows.) Also on sunday night I watched all 8 episodes of Stranger Things (One of my new favourite shows. HIghly, highly, highly recomend! Finn Wolfhard is like my favourite kid of all time now haha. Considering maybe doing a ST fic, IDK, i already don't have the time for this and SHEL. What do you guys think?) Anyway, tangent aside, I'm back. And I've got the special musical chapter kicking off the second half of this story! And it's over 10,000 words! So I hope you all enjoy it and thanks again for reading. I missed you guys :)_

* * *

Chapter 13: Sontails: The Musical 2

The full moon shone brightly in the sky, illuminating the desolate streets bathed in the eternal darkness of night. Small creatures ran through the streets, scavenging left over foods before retreating to the confines of the sewers.

The grand structure of Twinkle Park still stood tall and proud, although having been closed down since the war was started by Wave and Vector. The usually happy park remained empty, like a ghost town. The rides didn't spin, the rollercoasters didn't roll along their rickety tracks and the hundreds of stalls that peppered the cemented walkways remained closed. Nobody had set foot in the park in over three months. Nobody, except the doctor himself.

Eggman confined himself to his laboratory at the heart of the park, tinkering with his machines. His life goal of running the most successful amusement park had finally been achieved, but it seemed that it was all for naught since this war broke out.

"Cubot, hand me that spanner. Orbot, toss me that wrench," the doctor ordered as the red and yellow robots obliged obediently. Sounds of metal clanging against metal filled the room until the doctor finally sat back, relived. He wiped the sweat from his brow, relieve to finally finish his newest invention.

"It's finally done," the rotund genius proclaimed as he marveled at his work. Eggman walked around to the side of his sizeable machine and grabbed the level jutting out.

"It's time to bring a little happiness back to this world. Let's stop the fighting, and start the dancing so finally my park can be profitable again when everybody is not out fighting on the front lines," he exclaimed happily as he pulled down the lever and wisps of blue smoked billowed out of the device like the tendrils of a kraken, escaping out the windows and mixing in the with clouds above creating a mighty storm. The rains dowsed the land, infecting all those on the large continent…

…

The rhythmic sounds of boots crunching on the dusty, pebbled ground echoed around the grand canyon, funneling all the sound to the cowering citizens of Aves, hidden in their capital city behind a row of the final wave of Avian infantry.

"Keep marching forward, don't stop the attack! We must capture the capital, there's no turning back," Mighty yelled as he ushered his troops forward, ever approaching the city as both Amy and Shadow arrived at the back.

"Tell us the news, and give me no excuse," Shadow barked at his general.

"I see you grinning, are we winning?" Amy chimed in.

"What's wrong with you two? You're speaking in rhyme," Mighty pointed out. Shadow and Amy exchanged worried, knowing glances at one another.

"Oh no, this has happened before, looks like we're going through this a second time," Shadow sighed as the rhythmic marching overtook the teenagers.

Song 1  
This War Will be Won

(Parody of Emperor's New Clothes)

Soldiers: March as one, this war will be won

Shadow: Hear the sounds of nearby bullets,  
Injured pleas for medical aid.  
Clamor of orders being issued,  
Pull the trigger, don't be brave

Amy: We are walking, towards  
Their demise  
When we engage the enemy  
Don't stop firing 'till they die

Mighty: As we all march to Victory…

Shadow and Amy: We're taking back the land,  
Slaughter the enemy,  
We won't show sympathy  
Soldiers: (March as one, this war will be won)  
Shadow and Amy: Oh, yeah  
Victory, so close we can taste it  
Chaos has decreed it  
Soldiers: (March as one, this war will be won)  
Shadow and Amy: Oh, yeah!

Shadow: Through the fog and misty myst'ry,  
Dark or light, march day and night.  
Never ceasing, show no weakness,  
Because we know we are right

Amy: Addictive, pleasure  
War's cocaine  
To be a hero, push through the pain  
And taste the tasteless, lead-filled rain

Mighty: As we all march to salvation…

Shadow and Amy: We're taking back the land,  
Slaughter the enemy,  
We won't show sympathy  
Soldiers: (March as one, this war will be won)  
Shadow and Amy: Oh, yeah  
Victory, so close we can taste it  
Chaos has decreed it  
Soldiers: (March as one, this war will be won)  
Shadow and Amy: Oh, yeah!

Soldiers: It was them that caused this madness  
Fight and kill will grant us peace  
Create chaos, all for Chaos  
Watch them die, violence can cease

All: Oh, yeah, oh!  
Soldiers: March as one, this war will be won

Shadow and Amy: We're taking back, back taking back, back the land  
Slaughter the enemy,  
We won't show sympathy  
Soldiers: (March as one, this war will be won)  
Shadow and Amy: Oh, yeah  
Victory, so close we can taste it  
Chaos has decreed it  
Soldiers: (March as one, this war will be won)  
Shadow and Amy: Oh, yeah!

Soldiers: March as one, this war will be won  
March as one, this war will be won!

"Charge!" Shadow bellowed as their infantry reached the final line of defense of Aves capital and the last battle between the communities finally began.

…

The city skyscrapers protruding from the sizzling sands of the northern desert sparkled in the afternoon glow of the sun. The streets were bustling with life as citizens partook in the usual afternoon rush to get home. Cars honked and sirens blared. Everywhere was abuzz with life. Everywhere but in one of the high rooms of Shard's tower.

Sonic sighed, his head constantly looking off into the horizon, his spirits completely shattered. All this time, ever since they shared their first kiss, Sonic and Tails had taken on the world together. They braved everybody, fleeing to an island and on their return, Sonic had been relentless in trying to finally reunite with his lost love. The only thing that fueled him was the knowledge that he would find Tails and hold him again. Yet, now that can never be the case.

"Sonic, will you be joining us for food?" Shard asked as the screen door to his private room slid open. Sonic didn't even bother turning, his dead, soulless eyes never blinking, constantly staring out into the great beyond.

"No thanks, I'm good," he replied emotionlessly from the window.

"I hope you're enjoying your view and all the magnificent scenery. Just remember, if you need anything you know where I will be," Shard offered nicely, having just returned from his trip as he bowed and exited the room, leaving Sonic alone to think.

Sonic sighed again as he took a step back, cleared his mind and let the words emanate from his throat in sweet, sad melodies.

Song 2  
Taken Away

(Parody of Ride)

Sonic: I just wanna go back to the way things were  
Before, you left my side  
Thinking of this insanity, it's absurd  
But then, you left my side  
I left you 'cuz I wanted to try and be brave  
But then you did not survive  
Although I tried you're the one I just could not save  
And so you did not survive

Oh, oh, I'm crying, because you have been taken away  
Oh, I'm dying because you won't see another day  
You have been taken away!

Pain's beyond words, stings more than heartache  
These torturous cries make heartbreaking mistakes  
A bullet for them, watch as they got hit  
I adapt and accept, but won't get over it  
But I can't move on, these are shrouding clouds of darkness  
They're Shard's shrouding clouds of darkness  
Incidentally missing Tails  
But in my heart emptiness prevails  
Feeling the loss extinguishes the light  
Can I go on when I've already lost the fight  
Distinguish wrong from right, in the dead of the night  
Nobody to help, guiding me through this plight  
But I just try to stay sane  
These demons plaguing my brain  
Hear all the whispering  
Saying horrid things  
But it all leads to pain

Oh, oh, I'm crying, because you have been taken away  
Oh, I'm dying because you won't see another day  
You have been taken away!

I see him in my mind  
When I close both my eyes  
Imagine his demise  
My dreams plagued with his cries  
(He's dead)  
I see him in my mind (I see him in my mind)  
When I close both my eyes (He's dead)  
Imagine his demise (When I close both my eyes)  
My dreams plagued with his cries…

Oh, oh, I'm crying, because you have been taken away  
Oh, I'm dying, won't see another day  
You have been taken away!

Oh, oh, I'm crying, because you have been taken away  
Oh, I'm dying because you won't see another-

Can't I just turn back time  
(He's dead)  
Why can't his death be mine  
(Instead)

I see him in my mind (I see him in my mind)  
When I close both my eyes (He's dead)  
Imagine his demise (When I close both my eyes)  
My dreams plagued with his cries…  
He's dead

Sonic held the final whispered lyric before he collapsed on his bed, letting his thick, cemented eyelids shutter closed as he gave himself away to the hollow dreams that seeped into his sleeping conscious.

…

The searing sun tried to penetrate through the thick ivory branches of the mangroves, the few rays heating the cool waters. Tails sat on the edge of the make-shift porch, his legs dangling in the waters. He sighed deeply, taking in the solitude as his thoughts continued to wonder back to the previous days.

'How could he do this to me?' Tails thought. 'Did he do it purposefully?'

He watched from afar as he noticed both Cosmo and Galaxia partake in another one of their afternoon fights. They had become ritualistic and Tails wanted to tune them out, but it seemed to be the only thing that helped his mind stop thinking about his own problems. It was nice to know that others were having problems to, as bad as he thought that sounded.

Tails sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that day alone as he let his gaze shift skywards, emptying his heart and letting the words speak from his soul.

Song 3  
Betrayal

(Parody of Mr. Brightside)

Tails: Actions sharp as a knife  
They cut me deep to the bone  
Thought with you I was safe  
But now I feel alone  
It started out with a kiss  
How did it end up like this  
We both started a war, don't want this anymore

First blew into my life  
Like a sweet autumn breeze  
Stole my heart, held it tight  
Brought me down to my knees  
Struggling I can't cope  
Diminishing my hope  
Extinguishing the spark  
Because this is the-  
End now, don't have to pretend now  
Love grew dark

I couldn't look, tried to kill me  
What happened to you?  
Insanity, turned into the enemy  
Happiness nonexistent  
Love has kept me imprisoned  
Left without saying goodbye,  
Left me here to wonder why  
It was one big masquerade  
And now I am betrayed

You had me floating in air,  
Bullet's brought me crashing down  
Voices hurt me too much  
Can't wrap my head around  
They say I'm rubber, you're glue  
So why do I feel so blue  
Is it 'cuz I love you, I still love you it's true

With you soundly I slept,  
Wasn't hard to accept  
Secretly disagreed,  
Did you even love me?  
Struggling I can't cope  
Diminishing my hope  
Extinguishing the spark  
Because this is the-  
End now, don't have to pretend now  
Love grew dark

Showed true colours, we aren't lovers  
Darkness controls you…  
Insanity, turned into the enemy  
Happiness nonexistent  
Love has kept me imprisoned  
Left without saying goodbye,  
Left me here to wonder why  
With you I was unafraid  
But now I am betrayed  
Betrayal (X3)

Tails lay back, his hands folded over his chest as he let a tear stream down his cheeks, soaking his fur. He looked over, passed Knuckles, Blaze and Tikal who were all sitting on the other side of the hut and over to the path. He thought back to the nights he walked through that winding forested path to clear his head. How it forked off to an ascending climb up to the steep, rocky eastern cliffs. Tails knew what he had to do. He slowly rose to his feet and made his way over to the path, dragging his heels as he walked.

"What's Tails doing?" Knuckles asked, noticing the fox's strange behaviour.

"What we all are. surviving…" Blaze lamented sadly.

…

Finally. It had been days of non-stop walking. Hiding behind rocks, keeping out of view of the drones that soared over her head and sticking to the shadowy shade of the tree line. However, after her long trek, Wave had made it to the Aves-Vapos border. The line that she was brought up learning never to cross under any circumstance. She recalled how her mother would talked so vehemently about the line.

"If only she knew how horrible things would go," Wave chucked darkly as she took her first step over her western border. "It's like it's already too late to stop this… although," Wave looked up, determination in her eyes.

"If I can just stop this, we won't have to fear borders anymore. We can all live peacefully after I help stop this dumb war…"

Song 4  
Can't we Find Peace

(Parody of Still Breathing)

Wave: Imagine rays of sunshine shining down from above  
Imagine the melodic chirps of flying white doves  
Oh, oh, oh, world free of war  
Imagine a hurricane storming through the vast seas  
Stuck in the eye, sublime still waters and a cool breeze  
Oh, oh, no, fear anymore

Are we stoking?  
Are we stoking the fanned flames?  
The smoking gun won't stop your demons  
Hearing their shrieks of pain…

Why can't we find peace?  
Can't we find peace in troubled times?  
The firestorm comes raining downwards  
Nobody will survive  
Why can't we find peace?  
Can't we shed violent paradigms?  
Besiege the troops and angry warlords  
Ending the sufferings  
And stay alive…

Imagine twinkling stars are shining down from heaven  
Imagine oppression has all but been forgiven  
Oh, oh, oh, world free of war  
Imagine love, that is free from all transgression  
Imagine that we didn't start this Armageddon  
Oh, oh, no, fear anymore

Are we stoking?  
Are we stoking the fanned flames?  
The lines were drawn in clashing combat  
There is no going back

Why can't we find peace?  
Can't we find peace in troubled times?  
The firestorm comes raining downwards  
Nobody will survive  
Why can't we find peace?  
Can't we shed violent paradigms?  
Besiege the troops and angry warlords  
Just shoot, and kill to stay alive…

As I realize it's my fault  
Grieving actions fueled their assault  
I've been runnin' this whole war  
Just to fill the void that Big has left me  
Killed those that aren't my enemy  
Paving a path for death unless…

Unless we find peace!  
Unless we find peace in our hearts  
We make mistakes but still can forgive  
Antidote for venom  
So we can find peace  
And stop tearing this world apart  
Fulfillment rebuilds worlds to live in  
Laying down our weapons  
Unless we find peace!  
Unless we find peace in our hearts  
No vict'ry will be taught in hist'ry  
If we learn our lesson  
And create peace

Wave continued her journey until she suddenly heard a gunshot spit the atmosphere, a bullet whizzing past her head. Wave broke into a sprint, her fight or flight reflexes taking control as she dived for cover behind a tree. She cautiously chanced a glance out into the open but couldn't see any sign of somebody chasing her. She leant back, breathing heavily in relief when she heard the sound of a gun cocking.

"Put your hands up and get on the ground!" A voice commanded her from behind. Wave obliged as the person behind her whipped out a walkie talkie. "Razor, it's Abyss, you'll never guess who I found snooping around!"

…

The screams of birds filled their air. Innocent people, once going about their daily routine now running down the streets in a flurry of panic. The Mobian troops marched in force, ignoring most of the bystanders who hid behind their shutters and fled into their homes, instead concentrating on gunning down the last of the Avian enforcement. As the sun went down, the last of the resistance fell. No more forces stood in their way as Shadow, Amy and Mighty pushed into the large manor in the center of the city, striding confidently up the stairs and pushing open the doors into Wave's command room. But she wasn't there.

"Where is she?" Shadow growled, slamming his fist into the desk.

"Do you think she would flee?" Mighty offered an answer. "That weak cowardice was shown to be prevalent in our enemy."

"One step forward, two steps back," Shadow growled, swiping his hand angrily across her desk, watching the pictures and computers that littered her space crash to the ground, broken. "How could she have been made privy of our sneak attack?"

"Maybe I should go back and inform Vector of this?" Mighty suggested.

"No Mighty, you are not yet dismissed," Amy chimed in, equally as frustrated.

"Yes, you are instead, Amy. Go back now and don't dilly dally!" Amy turned around sharply, her eyes narrowing as she stared daggers at the ebony hedgehog. She stomped up to him, her sharp finger pressing into his chest as spittle flew from her mouth.

"You listen here, mister man. You don't control me, understand?"

"If I recall correctly, I outrank you," Shadow sneered, ignoring her glare. "You've done everything here that you need to do."

"What the hell is your deal? You've been treating everything likes it's all surreal. Ever since Sonic and Tails bested you, you've cut yourself off from everything except those two. I thought you loved me, when you treated me right. But you're so fixated on them it always ends in a fight. You're regressing, you can't stop obsessing, and I'm just guessing but you seem to always be stressing. Get this in your thick head. Those two are as good as dead! Forget about them and focus on me. You have somebody who loves you, can't you just see? But you're a sick freak who can't see clearly and for that you missed out on something dearly."

Amy was fuming, her words lacking the initial potent sting she was hoping due to the incessant rhyming in rhythm that she couldn't help, however her point still stayed poignant. And poignant it was, as it hit Shadow hard. His stoic expression changed. His stale face frowning, anger rising. He rose his hand and slapped her across the face, staring deep into her eyes. Into her soul.

"Get out, now. Leave me, you cow!" he growled with a nightmarish tone. "You don't know me, you don't know me at all. I can't be happy until I see those two fall. My whole life I was haunted by them, provoked. While they still live, I choke on invisible smoke. It fills my lungs, stings my eyes and that's something I don't expect you to realize."

"Shadow… please," Amy begged, her eyes still filled with hurt and longing. As much as he taunts her. How he abused her and used her, she couldn't help but still feel for him. It mightn't have been long, a mere three months together, she fell head over heels. It wasn't until Vector made his move that Shadow changed for the worst. His obsession was always there, but it seemed fueled. And as soon as he heard they were both still alive, he had taken a turn down a road he would never come back from. He would never feel whole, be able to move on until they were both dead at his feet. But even then, she knew it would be a hollow victory.

"Mighty," he turned to his general, his eyes distant and emotionless. "Make sure Amy leaves." The obedient Armadillo obliged, grabbing her wrist and escorting her out, easily overpowering her struggles as she yelled profanities at Shadow. A cloud of anger descending on her. However, she finally gave up, acceptance drowning out pain so she trudged back to Mobius as it started to rain.

Meanwhile, back in the command room where Shadow sat, his thoughts were still plagued by Tails and Sonic. Despite his feelings for Amy, her taunting words still plagued his mind. She was right, but he would never admit it. He wanted them dead. No. He needed them dead. And he needed to do it. He couldn't ever find peace. All those years being out done. When he finally had a way to show Sonic up, his leg was broken instead. And now they are back, together and happy and about to take away everything that Shadow had spent the past three months building. He had risen to the top. A seventeen year old boy basically in charge of an entire town. He wasn't going to let them take it away from him. He couldn't. And yet, no matter what he tried, he could never get the thought of them trying out of his head. The thought of them was slowly driving him to insanity…

Song 5  
Stave Insanity

(Parody of L.A Devotee)

Shadow: I've got crimson eyes from hating too much  
And my fur's as black as the void inside  
I can't escape them, no-oh  
I hesitated and they escaped me, whoa-oh  
I took one step forward and fell on my back,  
Their happiness is pain, they need me to attack  
To separate them, Oh-oh  
Kill them before it decimates me, Whoa-oh

Pale ghosts, whispering  
Mind can't stay at peace

The emptiness of a world at war  
Stuck in the past like a dinosaur  
Nothing can fill the void anymore  
Only death can stave insanity  
The sun sets on a grave at night  
Illuminate the dark to survive  
Need to see the blood, a blue and gold demise  
Only death can stave insanity

Only death-  
Only death can whoa-oh (X3)  
Only death can stave insanity

I've got cynical thoughts in a dangerous mind  
And alien thoughts of a criminal kind  
They terrorize me, whoa-oh  
They only seem to criticize me, Oh-no  
Animosity fills my hollowed-out eyes  
But I'll kill them both before they die  
They're gonna beg me, Whoa-oh  
Gonna beg for peace and mercy, No-oh

Sounds disturbed, screams of man  
chaos as a plan

There's no passion behind flowing tears  
Or ambition from insecure fears  
Been dreaming of this for many years  
Only death can stave insanity  
Pain inside can't be satiated  
Fulfilment can't be recreated  
Drowning inside incomparable hatred  
Only death can stave insanity

Only death-  
Only death can whoa-oh (X3)  
Only death can stave insanity

Stave Insanity  
Please save me from me  
Never can be free  
Stave Insanity

The emptiness of a world at war  
Stuck in the past like a dinosaur  
Nothing can fill the void anymore  
Only death can stave insanity  
The sun sets on a grave at night  
Illuminate the dark to survive  
Need to see the blood, a blue and gold demise  
Only death can stave insanity

Only death-  
Only death can whoa-oh (X3)  
Only death can stave insanity

Shadow punched his hand deep into the desk, fractured bits of wood splinter free as dust peppered the air. He cursed their names, screaming loud in anguish and futile anger as the city of Aves fell around him. The main conquest her required wasn't against one of the five capitals of Mobius, but rather against two innocent boys.

…

Small ripples from the surging tide lapped the wiry confusion of roots that interwove into the platform that Tikal, Knuckles and Blaze all sat on. They could hear a soft melody drifting from the other side of their outpost. Before any of them knew what was happening, a disheveled and tired looking fox stumbled past them, heading towards the path.

"I'm gonna go check on him. He seems to be looking quite grim," Knuckles lamented as he rose, leaving a gap between Tikal and Blaze as he rushed over to follow Tails, giving Blaze a peck on the lips as he left.

"Wait, don't go!" Tikal cried out, jumping up to follow Knuckles, leaving Blaze looking down at the water below. "I need to say something, you really need to know."

"Tikal, not now, time is of the essence," Knuckles replied hastily, his eyes darting between the echidna before him and the disappearing outline of Tails, head low and strides lacking purpose. "Tails needs me right now, needs someone in his presence."

"But Knuckles I have something I need to say. Because Knuckles I… I… I Okay." Tikal took a deep breath in, her inhibitions leaving her in the presence of Knuckles. Her feelings, buried down for Blaze's sake were begging to be set free. The strange feeling that had washed over them all taking ahold of her. Making her want to sing, whether she wanted to or not. But sing she did.

Song 6  
Repentance

(Parody of Who Knew)

I should feel bad, would usually  
And normally not foolishly  
Acting, this way…  
Of all the things I said to you  
Time has gone by but they stand true  
Unchanged, today…

I know that I should feel guilty  
But kept smiling  
Can't help but want you badly  
See Blaze crying  
We're through, the end  
But I still play pretend  
Have no re-pentance

I feel like I'm stuck in limbo  
Looking at you, look at me though  
I know, you know  
Building to our love crescendo  
Draped in this magical grotto  
My red Romeo…

I screwed up and lost your trust in me  
Grew so lonely  
Changed past and restored memory  
Oh, if only  
Blaze I'm, sorry  
But this is my story,  
I've no re-pentance

I'm hiding behind a mask  
Until I complete this task  
(Forgive me  
I know I am guilty)  
But I need to get him back  
Please come back…

I know that I should feel guilty  
But kept smiling  
Can't help but want you badly  
See Blaze crying but  
One last kiss, I'll cherish  
And now I've made a new wish  
Left stranded, I landed  
back in your arms I ended  
Tormented, relentless  
Our love building transcendence  
Have no re-pentance  
I'm sorry, I'm guilty  
Please Blaze, forgive me  
Yet I don't, feel any  
Penance, Penance

"Tikal I… I just can't disown-"

"Don't," Tikal interrupted. "Don't make excuses, you don't need to atone. Back in the past was when I had my shot. But I blew it, that's all I got. I got caught up in words I didn't wanna say, and that's when we fought on that fateful day. I wish I could go back, change what I did but I have to grow up, I can't keep acting like a kid. I'm sorry Knuckles, for all I've caused. But just know I still love you, despite all my flaws. And I-"

Tikal was interjected when she felt something crash against her lips. Her eyes bulged open, shocked but when the realization hit her of what was happening, she let them fall shut. Tikal moaned softly, tilting her head as she kissed back. She felt Knuckles hand being placed gently of her cheek, his thumb positioned just below her jaw as he pushed through her teeth with his tongue.

"Oh… sorry, I didn't mean to…" Tikal trailed off as Knuckles pulled apart, his eyes not being able to meet her own.

"Don't think I don't still hold feelings for you," Knuckles whispered, staring down at the ground before he turned and took off down the path, not looking back.

…

Sonic still sat by the window, a chair pulled up to rest just below the sill. His eyes stared out at the afternoon sun, the magnificent glow radiating on the mechanical desert town. He glazed over all the people, going about their day blissful ignorant of the war raging throughout the rest of the land. How could they have all avoided the conflict? How could they have made this artificial sanctuary so safe?

Sonic watched the people walk down the rotating sidewalks, expertly dodging through cars that sped down the street. His eyes fell to a small boy, about half Sonic's own age break away from his mother's hold and sprint across the street, enticed by something on the other side. Her wails pierced the heavens as a car barreled towards him on a collision course.

Sonic shut his eyes, waiting for the inevitable but as he dared to open them again, he saw the little boy perfectly fine on the other side, barely escaping his deal with death. The look on his mother's face, pure relief took Sonic over. Just seeing how happy she was, and how close the boy was to death filled him with determination.

"I can't give up yet, not by a long shot. For Tails, I need to show determination and show it a lot. He shouldn't be the one dead, it should be me instead. I should've faced my bout with death, it should have been me to take my final breath. But it's all his fault, he's the one to blame. And when I'm done, I'll defeat him in this game." Sonic stood, his distant eyes filling with a newfound feeling as the words found his throat.

Song 7  
The End

(Parody of What I'm Made of)

Sonic: I don't care what he's saying  
I don't believe Shard  
'Cuz I can't let go of my hope  
And I can't let down my guard (It's too hard)

I can't cure this illness  
I can't save society  
My broken heart's been torn apart  
I gave up easily

Is it me,  
That death, should have come for?  
I deserve all the pain and all he has in store (for sure)  
Hey!

Demons have control of me  
Contorting anatomy  
But this won't be the end of me yet  
They can take my dignity  
But can't change reality  
I know Tails isn't dead yet, I bet!

Savoring the moments  
This diagnostic's wrong  
This is abuse so I refuse  
Denial makes me strong (Makes me strong)  
Suave, naïve deities  
Will never be appeased  
'til we all slaughter ourselves  
in spontaneity

Is it me,  
That death, should have come for?  
All that's wrong in this world is because of this war (For sure)  
No, no, NO!

Cold and dark machinery,  
Mixed with twilight scenery  
Try they might but they can't end me yet  
Tails is counting on me  
To continue the journey  
I know this isn't the end of me, yet

Embracing magical memories  
Happiness builds fantasies  
Hey!

Yeah!  
When Mobius surrenders  
Watch Vector be dismembered  
I will fulfil Tails and my vows  
No longer the defender  
I am now the avenger  
And it will be the end of Vector now

Not going through denial (And now I'm gonna kill Vector)  
This ain't forms of refusal (Death's not the only collector)  
This ain't the end of my story yet!

Sonic smirked, wrenching open the door as he ran off to find Shard, to demand the hedgehog to help him take down Vector. Tails would've wanted it and Sonic wouldn't rest until he faced his father. Until his father was dead.

…

Blaze looked below her, the aqua water was turbid, hiding the reeds that lay hidden beneath. She was too distraught to focus. Getting constantly berated by Galaxia, that accusations of spying. Being blamed for Earthia's death. Normally it wouldn't be that bad since she would have her friends beside her but Tails was too depressed to focus on anything and whenever she tried to talk to Knuckles, Tikal would always be right there.

She glanced over, twisting her back to gaze at Knuckles and Tikal over by the path conversing together. Tikal had since followed him as he went to catch up with Tails but she didn't have the strength to follow, deciding to stay seated with her legs dangling in the cooling water that lapped against her skin, the water licking her fur.

'This feeling inside me, it's killing me,' she thought as she watched the two with angst. 'Why can't I shake this feeling of jealousy?' The battle waged inside of her, a war paralleling that in reality which she was caught in the middle of. Her love for Knuckles, the part of her that wanted to trust him, battled against the envy that manifested itself inside of her, consuming her from within. As she watched the two, she couldn't help but let the feeling out through song.

Song 8  
Jealousy

(Parody of Battlefield)

Blaze: I look at both of them and I know what's happening here  
I know I should trust him but I cannot control my fear  
My heart is now trapped in a shield of obsidian, because of her  
As my pure amber eyes turn cold and viridian, because of her  
My love, passion is a burning fire  
Oh no, I took too long for the one I desire  
Why didn't I say something before!

Never meant to push you away,  
Can't we just go back to yesterday  
Don't wanna start this war again

Why can't I just dispel this…  
Jealousy  
and envy  
Inside of me (X2)  
Wage internal war again

I see you with her,  
Staring the way you never looked at me (oh, no)  
It's true, she was here first,  
Can't win this race, give up the Vict'ry (too slow)

My love, passion is a burning fire  
Oh no, I took too long for the one I desire  
Why didn't I say something before!

Never meant to push you away,  
Can't we just go back to yesterday  
Don't wanna start this war again

Why can't I just dispel this…  
Jealousy  
and envy  
Inside of me (X2)  
I thought between us our love was sacred  
Love had faded  
Love is hatred  
And I was so sure that our love was sacred  
Love had faded  
Love is hatred  
In my head it's so complicated

I could pretend you didn't think of her  
'Cuz if I speak up then I'm being the saboteur  
Let's go back to the way things were  
In my head I hear demons whisper…

To take him back,  
On the attack,  
You maniac!

But then angels are shouting  
Don't counteract,  
Take a step back,  
And just relax

But he ruined what I thought was sacred  
Never meant to push you away,  
Can't we just go back to yesterday  
Don't wanna start this war again

Why can't I just dispel this…  
Jealousy  
and envy  
Inside of me (X2)  
But he ruined what I thought was sacred  
And it faded  
Now it's hatred  
And I was so sure that our love was sacred  
But it faded  
Now it's hatred  
Despite it I still love him…

Whoa-oh  
Why can't I just dispel this  
Whoa-oh  
Jealously  
And Envy…

I took too long, kept saying no  
And now I have, to let you go (X2)

As Blaze finished her confession, her eyes grew wide as she stared at Knuckles lean into Tikal and crash his lips against hers. She felt her heart crack, disintegrating into ash. She felt empty, lonely and unloved. After all this time, after all that happened he still loved Tikal.

'He can't love me, I was a fool to think so,' Blaze tormented herself, thoughts plaguing her mind. 'Maybe it would be better for everybody if I would just go…'

…

The clouds descended up the large, cracked, run-down remains of the once fearsome castle that loomed near the edge of the Mobian community. Inside the spacious throne room sat Vector, his claws rattling against the chair. There he waited, expecting one of his higherups to check in any minute with more news.

Right on time, the large door began to creak open and a confident pink hedgehog stuck her head through the door.

"Ah Amy, I've been waiting for you. Please, inform me, what's new?" Vector invited her in with honeyed words.

"Well, sir, there's new from the front lines," Amy began. "They've surrendered and we've finally captured Aves this time."

"Excellent, excellent, this is great to hear. With this great victory the other's will bow before me in fear."

"Sir, aren't we doing this in the name of Chaos, no you?" Amy queried.

"Yes, yes, this is all in the lord's name as he passes it down to me so who is questioning me? Who?"

"Of course, Lord Vector, my mistake."

"This is not the right time to be questioning me Amy, as my plan turns to phase two, it's time to raise the stakes!" Vector snapped back.

"What do you mean? Phase two, can you tell me?" Amy pushed further.

"Well… you see…"

Song 9  
We'll Have Won

(Parody of Be Prepared)

Vector: (I never thought things' get this heinous  
But war, will cleanse Mobius  
Allied with the guiding light of Chaos  
Then victory will belong to us)

I know that the armies that face us  
Are as stubborn as barbarians  
But plain as they are, they've the high ground  
Those dastardly, dumb Avians  
It's clear from my new course of action  
My plan's in the finalized stage  
When I finish work, their reactions  
Will only add fuel to my rampage!

So, prepare for encroaching victory  
Prepare for the end of the war  
My new utopia, is becoming clearer

Amy: And what of resistance?

Vector: That's just a mere nuisance

I know it sounds crazy  
like films by Scorsese  
But don't fret, I have allies around  
And after all has been said and done  
We'll have won!

Amy: Glory to Mobius! But, what of Sonic?

Vector: He'll be dead soon

Amy: How can you be sure?

Vector: We've captured him already, he's of no concern

Amy: Already? Let me see him now. I need my revenge, now, now, now

Vector: Shut-up, you can't see him now

Amy: But-

Vector: Don't you dare talk back to me or else I'll have you killed right where you stand

Amy: Yes, alright Lord Vector, whatever you say Lord Vector

It's great that the war that we're winning  
Is going to be over soon

Vector: Of course, we must wait, 'fore revealing  
As this moment's inopportune  
The future is littered with bodies  
None of them from our armies  
As we come to the end of this journey  
We'll hunt like we're on safari!

So, prepare for encroaching victory  
And prepare for the end of the war  
Considerable planning  
some suave clergyman-ing  
Decades on the side line  
Now's my time in lime light  
Chaos light shines 'round me  
Supports me, escorts me!  
So now nobody can thwart me!

Because after all's been said and done  
We'll have won!

Amy: Yes, after all has been said and done  
Amy and Vector: We'll have won!

Vector cackled, a mighty, ferocious laugh which filled up the room. He knew victory was fast approaching and he knew it was only a matter of time before he would have his only son bowing before him…

…

Tails had ascended to the top of the cliff. The sheer curtains of rock rose high above the rest of the grotto. Tails scanned the beachside, only mangroves covered the vast shoreline. He sat on the edge of the rocky cliff, his legs dangling over the edge. The ferocious waves crashed on the jagged rocks at the bottom. Relentless and uncaring. Tails sighed as he looked over the ocean. He thought back to a time not long before. A time where he would sit on the beach and look at this exact same ocean, only with peaceful eyes and a full heart. Instead of sitting alone on a cliff, he was cuddled by Sonic next to a raging fire. Not a care in the world.

His heart pained him, his head hurt and he didn't know what was real or fake anymore. The only thing he had ever been sure of in recent memory was the love he had for Sonic. A love he thought they shared. Until Sonic changed. Until everything went wrong. His heart felt heavy, weighed down in his chest. His body took over, taking the contorted images and thoughts his mind provided him. He began to rise on shaky legs and stepped towards the edge so his toes dangled off. He looked down and the pointed rocks. If he fell, it would surely be death. And yet, that didn't stop him from wanting to jump. Before he took the plunge, he took a deep breath in and let his feelings emanate out of his throat.

Song 10  
Last Goodbye

(Parody of Jar of Hearts)

Tails: And now I can't take one more breath, anymore  
'Cuz you were changed by this dumb war  
Now there's pain in a place once filled with joy  
Well my heart is not your play toy

Live with si-lence and fear  
Because I turn and you're not here  
I used to be filled with hope  
But now life's one big joke  
No matter how hard I try…  
This is my last goodbye  
Heart's been pulled from my chest  
Now my demons know me best  
Angels took flight and flew  
Left me in hell to stew

They say keep determination  
But it leads to extermination  
Evilness prevails  
And now my tale's at its end

I am hanging, by a thread  
My mind's lost inside of my head  
I used to be filled with hope  
But now life's one big joke  
No matter how hard I try…  
This is my last goodbye  
Heart's been pulled from my chest  
Now my demons know me best  
Angels took flight and flew  
Left me in hell to stew

Just take a breath, count from one, up to three  
But then it never works, nothing ever helps me  
When I, close my eyes, feel at peace way up high  
Flying free with cumuli  
You won't come back  
You're never gonna come back

I used to be filled with hope  
But now life's one big joke  
No matter how hard I try…  
This is my last goodbye  
Heart's been pulled from my chest  
Now my demons know me best  
Angels took flight and flew  
Nothing I can do

Knuckles: I don't mean to eavesdrop  
This nonsense needs to stop  
I know that you're feeling blue  
But we still love you

Tails: Heart's been pulled from my chest

Knuckles: And I just have one request

Tails: My angels are gone

Knuckles: But you can go on

Tails: This is my last goodbye

Knuckles: Tails, you need to try

Tails: This is my last goodbye

As Tails whispered his last syllable, he outstretched his arms and tilted forward, letting gravity decide his fate. However, instead of feeling the gushing winds whip his face and the bloody spear of sharpened rock, Tails felt a muscular hand wrap around him, hoisting him backwards.

"Tails… Shit," Knuckles breathed, panting heavily as his pulse raced. He couldn't believe his eyes. One of his best friends had just tried to commit suicide in front of him. What if he wasn't there? What if he was a second too late? "Idiot," he breathed.

"You shouldn't have come. I would be fine."

"Tails, you need help, you almost crossed an uncrossable line," Knuckles retorted.

"Just let me go, Knuckles. Leave me be."

"I'm not going to give up on you, Tails."

"But I'll finally be able to be free!" Tails argued.

Knuckles and Tails argued back and forth, but Knuckles knew he couldn't win. Tails had the idiotic thought planted in his brain. A seed that began to grow as soon as Sonic tried to kill him and sprouted in his mind, plaguing his thoughts. Knuckles knew there was no way he could convince Tails to walk away from the ledge. Not by himself, so he did the only thing he could think of. He punched Tails in the back of the head, knocking the fox out instantly.

…

Knuckles grunted as he bent over and picked up the limp body of one of his best friends. He threw Tails' body over his shoulder in a fireman style carry and began to trudge back to the grotto. He didn't know what came over him and he didn't know what he was going to do. All he knew was that he needed to get Tails away from that cliff. He'd take him back to Blaze, Tikal and Cosmo. They would know what to say to him. Blaze knew him better than the rest, she could talk to him. He needed to hurry, before Tails came to.

"I can't believe that almost happened. Tails almost ran out of luck," Knuckles thought to himself. "This war has changed this world, and now everything is just so fucked up…"

Song 11  
F**ked up

(Parody of Not Afraid)

Knuckles: (Wow, what's going on here  
I just had to, save a friend, from himself  
Now some out there, might not want to fight  
But they don't have a choice, following him  
Not anymore…)

You can try to tell me that this death that I see's necessary  
But history will only see you following blindly  
'Cuz ain't no way I'ma let this tyranny remain to be  
because I'm gonna stop it, just watch me  
Don't care about consequences  
I'm doing this for us, Tikal and Blaze  
Nowadays, acolytes of Chaos are gonna pay  
Imma push through the heartache and tears  
Fix mistakes and face my fears  
And now it's time to raise the stakes, because I'm a peace pioneer  
No time for beers, I'm gonna engineer a way outta here  
I'll persevere down to the last scream that I hear  
I'm still winnin', riding to battle like the last cavalier  
won't quit 'til I win and then again we all disappear  
But these heinous deeds, raking up a stink  
I think it's for naught, 'cause I'm drowning in downed drinks  
It seems it's a curse, that on this earth, our happiness  
Only found at the bottom of bottles of Hornitos

This world's F**ked up (This world's F**ked up)  
We ran Amuck (We ran Amuck)  
And it's too late (And it's too late)  
To reconstruct (To reconstruct)  
Gotta pick up the pieces, use some glue  
Beating diseases, see it through  
And it's a shame that, we are drownin'  
As the death toll rises into the thousands

And because of this shit we are divided, all misguided  
Remember that back in the day, before the crap with Large we were united  
Now uninvited, instead we made war, smited  
All of our friends, and we pretend it works out in the end  
And the elite, run this war while they kickin' up their feet  
We got brainiac, maniacs echidna's and a cat  
And in fact, we back to beat Vex's defeat  
It's neat, with his cronies, Shadow and Amy  
with me, they ain't gonna get off easy  
And below the knees they bend to the mighty  
'Cuz it is our victory  
It's a game called a war, and I don't know why, it's time to fight like at Versailles  
But I'm still thinkin' of the perfect battle cry  
Somethin' to correct them, keepin' me tongue tied, I'm fuckin' crucified  
neglected, don't know why but it's time to dignify these demons  
suspected dickheads it's time to pacify, now!

This world's F**ked up (This world's F**ked up)  
We ran Amuck (We ran Amuck)  
And it's too late (And it's too late)  
To reconstruct (To reconstruct)  
Gotta pick up the pieces, use some glue  
Beating diseases, see it through  
And it's a shame that, we are drownin'  
As the death toll rises into the thousands

And we just can't keep living this way  
We were castaways, Sonic, Tails, me and Blaze  
Let me rephrase, gonna take them down  
And on this day, peace heralds the crown  
I've had enough, now I'm so fed up  
Time to fix this broken fucked up world right now! (Now)

Now it is time for recognition, and the correction  
In addition, our mission's to put away the weapons  
tensions, are rising as aggression ascends to despotism  
And I just have but one suggestion, learn a lesson  
To cease violence for peace, we need to come together and weather,  
Whatever storm that our oppressor, wants us to endeavor  
never, but we ain't giving up anytime soon however,  
as, we all fight forever  
No more time to stave this pain,  
Not again and again in this game, all players slowly turnin' insane  
So abstain, 'cuz there's no time for celebrating with some nice champagne  
Don't taste it, like naked faking acolytes decreed it  
so we can create, a brand new society to predate  
all the hate, but wait, there is so much more here that's at stake  
so rather than migrate,  
we can change the painful name calling, lovers lost to the crazy world of fate  
'cuz

This world's F**ked up (This world's F**ked up)  
We ran Amuck (We ran Amuck)  
And it's too late (And it's too late)  
To reconstruct (To reconstruct)  
Gotta pick up the pieces, use some glue  
Beating diseases, see it through  
And it's a shame that, we are drownin'  
As the death toll rises into the thousands

Knuckles sighed as he finally arrived back to the wooded grove isolated from the rest of the hidden mangroves and the rest of Mobius as a whole. Upon seeing Tails' unconscious body, Blaze, Cosmo and Tikal rushed up worriedly but were in relief when they realized he wasn't dead. Knuckles and Blaze shared a grave look of dismay as he told her what had happened and what he saw. They both promised to talk about it with him the next day but decided he needed time to himself before he was ready to talk.

Blaze helped Knuckles take the fox inside and lay him down on the small bed inside his private room. Blaze sighed, her eyes glazing over the sleeping figure, a single tear falling down her cheek.

"What am I going to do?" She sighed as she gently closed the door. "What are we going to do with you…?"

…

The moon rose high in the sky, illuminating the bustling city below. Sonic stared out, contemplating his plan to take down his father and get revenge for Tails. It had become a common routine for the hedgehog. He would spend his days holed up in his room, watching the people go about their day with blissful innocence, unknowing about the full-scale war that gripped their continent south of the isolated, desert city. Sonic turned his gaze skywards and glanced at the full moon, its radiant beauty offering him some peace. He inhaled deeply through his nostrils and exhaled out through his mouth as he let all his festering feelings of depression out through song.

Meanwhile, in the southeastern corner of the continent, hundreds of kilometers away from Sonic, Tails awoke in his bed with a start. He glanced around frantically in a panic until he realized where he was. Back in his small, make-shift room that Cosmo and Galaxia were gracious enough to lend him for as long as he needed after the debacle with Sonic escalated to its breaking point. He sighed, thinking about that name. The name of the hedgehog that betrayed him. The hedgehog that tried to kill him. The hedgehog that he still loved. Tails turned his gaze skywards and glanced at the full moon, its radiant beauty offering him some peace. He inhaled deeply through his nostrils and exhaled out through his mouth as he let all his festering feelings of depression out through song.

Song 12  
Miss me too

(Parody of Strangers)

Sonic: Breathless,  
Without you I feel lost in darkness  
Nightmares, plague my dreams, keeps me restless  
My country and my world are gone, I've withdrawn  
Now I,  
must try to decipher my feelings,  
But I can't stop my head from reeling  
This all seems unreal, it's not true, I need you

Please be alive, Shard is lying  
You can't have died, I'll keep trying  
Beyond the endless horizon  
I'll greet you with the sun at dawn  
Chase away encroaching shadows  
Wading through the murky shallows  
Find the light to pierce the water  
I'm still drowning, doesn't matter, now!

Tails: Ironic,  
I feel sick without you, it's chronic,  
Without your warm breath, I'm pneumonic  
Shadows closing in I can't breathe, please save me  
Dependent,  
In life I was your one true defendant,  
Now you have let me go, no repentance  
this can't be amended this time, crossed the line

But it's true that I still miss you,  
Pull the trigger, I'll still kiss you  
Beat me down but I'll get back up  
'Cuz I know that we can make up  
Felt my world come tumbling downwards  
shed my tears on trampled flowers  
You taught me to stay determined  
It's the blind leading the blind, this time

Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh X3  
Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh!

Sonic: I can't give up it's not too late  
Tails: (Sonic why, did you become so estranged?)  
Sonic: I'll prove them wrong and change our fate  
Tails: (Please tell me why did you change)  
Sonic: Save my angel from the devil  
Tails: (Are you with the devil?)  
Sonic: Heartbreak makes me detrimental  
Tails: (Wasn't accidental)  
Sonic: And I don't know why, I just can't put you to rest  
Tails: (You're anger's not satiated)  
Sonic: My heart has ceased beating in my chest!  
Tails: (All those memories we created)  
Sonic: Because, I miss you  
Tails: (Your heads messed up but I miss you)  
Sonic: But I wonder, do you miss me too?  
Tails: (But I wonder, do you miss me too?)

Both Sonic and Tails looked up at the moon as they whispered the final line, sighing in pain. Tails was the only thing that ran through Sonic's mind and Sonic was the only thing that ran through Tails'. Both the hedgehog and the fox, separating by kilometers of land, fell backwards onto the beds that they were loaned by the leaders of Macton and Zuncon respectively.

"He can't be dead," Sonic lamented.

"What's wrong with his head?" Tails thought. Neither had answers and neither was happy. It was like something was missing without the other there. Like two halves of the same hole, separated by unfortunate circumstances and not able to operate until combining again. Both closed their eyes, trying to get some much needed sleep but only nightmares plagued the boys that night, and all future nights to come…

…

"It's not working, nothing's going right. I thought thanks to my machine the world would find peace this night," Eggman sang his frustrations out, trying to reconfigure his machine. For all intents and purposes, it did exactly what it was supposed to do. It mixed in with the atmosphere and caused all inhabitants that breathed in the gaseous exhaust to sing out their deepest emotions but it didn't stop the war. Battles still raged and fights were still waged. The only thing it managed to do was fuel the morale of the Mobian army as they succeeded in their invasion of Aves and the capital fell.

 _Crash_

"Wha, who's there?" Eggman jumped, hearing something crash onto the hard, metal ground of his laboratory. A cloaked figure stepped out of the shadows, their face obscured by a hood that blazoned over their head. "Stay back! Don't take a step closer, don't you dare." The figure didn't heed his warnings, coming closer and removing a concealed dagger from a sheath. With a quick flick of their wrist, the dagger shot from their hand with pinpoint accuracy, slicing through Eggman's neck. The doctor's eyes bulged wide as his hands were thrown to his neck, trying to keep the blood from spilling out over his fingers. It was no use. Eggman collapsed to the floor, dead within seconds.

The assassin smiled as they stalked towards the doctor, removing the dagger from his throat and drying off the blood on his red shirt.

"No more incessant singing and having to rhyme. I was sick of it after the first time," the remarked darkly as they thrust the dagger deep into the main power source of the machine. It spluttered and shook, lights flashing chaotically before a loud bang erupted from the machine and it exploded, parts of machinery flying everywhere. Black smoke billowed from the wreckage left over.

"That's the end of that nonsense," the cloaked figure smirked as they turned and fled out of the doctor's secret laboratory in his theme park and returned to give Vector the good news.

* * *

 _A/N: Well there you have it. That's what our heros have been up to. The Mobian army, spearheaded by Shadow and Amy, have finally conquered Aves and the great Avian capital has finally fallen to Mobius' might. So, where is everybody leading in to the second half of this story? Shadow is currently stationed outside of Aves capital while Amy, Vector and the mysterious cloaked assassin are back in Vector's castle. Wave has fled the capital and on her way to meet Razor and Abyss, while Fiona is rotting away in the castle dungeons. Sonic is accepting Shard's hospitality despite Shard's malicious intentions. Galaxia and Cosmo are still reeling after the death of their mother, even more at odds than before whilst hosting Tails, Knuckles, Blaze and Tikal in their secret grotto. All the pieces have been placed and the next 5 or so chapters will be about moving the pieces into the places they need to be and slowly building up for the big climax. A lot more focus will be on character development and driving the plot forward before the big moment everybody has been waiting for since the end of the first book. So, what do you think is going to happen? How do you think this will all end? Please don't forget to leave a review to let me know what you think. I love hearing from all of you and until next time, have a great day._

 _QotD: What was your favourite song? What was your least favourite?_

Next time on Sontails: War of Faith - Chapter 14: A Tale of Two Sisters


	14. Chapter 14: A Tale of Two Sisters

_A/N: Hey everybody. Sorry this took so long to come out but I've lost a bit of the spark for this story. DOn't worry, I will be finishing it but updates might be a bit infrequent. I'll try my hardest but for right now all my interest and energy has been going into my other story, SHEL and it seems that my readers seem to enjoy that more as it gets more feedback and I have more interaction over that story. But don't worry, I promise that you won't have to go more than a month (Sorry again about that) without an update (hopefully). Well... atleast until late june when I go on my travels and will be unable to write anything. Either way, enough rambling, please enjoy!_

* * *

Chapter 14

The tale of two sisters

Darkness. Shadows snuffing out the light and enveloping every corner of the dank confines of the decrepit dungeon. The cold, damp air wrapped around her like a noose, choking out the hope and broadening the void inside her. The absence of the flickering flames of torches that usually lined the cobblestone walls gave the impression of twilight despite the sun blazing high in the sky above the crumbling, weather-warped castle exterior.

Water dripped from the roof, soaking the damp stones and the sound of the incessant water droplets echoed through the desolate dungeon. Moss clung to the walls like the shaggy beard of an old man, growing and snaking its way through the cracks in the stone. Fiona wrapped her hands around the iron bars, her knuckles white as she heaved to no avail. The sounds of footsteps descending the spiral staircase alerted her to the presence of another. After seeing or hearing nobody for days, the sudden intrusion startled her.

"Well, well. Looks like you're still alive after all," the snarky bat announced as she pushed a plate of food through the gap in the bars, watching in disgust as Fiona demolished the food in an instant. Fiona glanced up from her meal, barely acknowledging Rouge's existence before going back to her food, crouched over on the ground shoveling the rice into her mouth with her hands like a feral animal.

"So, now that you're all full, maybe you and I could have a little bit of a chat," Rouge began, leaning up against the bars. Fiona took her opportunity, lashing out with a guttural growl and grabbing at the jail keeper. Fiona's nails sunk into Rouge's soft skin, drawing blood. The crimson liquid oozed out of her cut, trickling down her arm. Rouge let out a howl, recoiling and stumbling backwards, cursing aloud.

"You bitch," Rouge growled, clutching at her scar. "To think I waisted food on you."

"Get away from me," Fiona warned darkly.

"Chaos-damn this. I don't need to deal with this," Rouge lamented to herself. "I was a school teacher for chaos sake. An educator, not a jailer. I taught kids, not take orders from one of my student's fathers with an inferiority complex."

"Seems to me you might be on the wrong side of this war," Fiona began, seizing the opportunity.

"Don't think that because I disagree with my Lord's methods, I'd betray Mobius," Rouge stood steadfast to her beliefs. "Chaos may have chosen a poor candidate to spread his word but Vector was chosen and so I shall follow, just as we did for his previous acolyte, Big and my ancestors did to Large before him," Rouge concluded. "He will lead us against the Solaris worshipers of the world. He will deliver us from evil, regardless of his methods."

"Great, you're just as crazy as the rest of them," Fiona rolled her eyes sardonically.

"You know, I pity you."

"Pity me? Ha, that's a laugh," Fiona snorted.

"No really, I do. You have this ill-conceived notion that you're the good guy. This idea that if you win the war then somehow that makes this all worth it. That if you slaughter and kill all of us, that will somehow be okay. But in reality, we are fighting for a cause. All the innocent, and not-so innocent lives that are being lost will all be judged by Chaos and the ones who remain will be able to build a new utopia in his image. Whereas you are running around without a cause. Killing for nothing. So really, what's the difference between what you are doing, and murder because last time I checked, even though you don't believe in Chaos' bounty, you don't believe in murder."

"I…I…" Fiona murmured, unable to think of a response.

"So, who really are the bad guys?" Rouge asked with a smirk.

"We didn't start this."

"Hmm?"

"Mobians crossed our boarders. Big killed our generals. Vector invaded our lands. We are retaliating, killing in self-defense. You are the authoritarian murderers. What kind of God would allow that?" Fiona challenged.

"The kind who sent a flood to cleanse the earth. The kind who rewards the faithful and punishes the sinners. You are the earth, and we are the flood. It just so happens that Vector is Noah," Rouge concluded.

"You're deranged. Wave will never give up. You haven't won yet," Fiona retaliated.

"So you think. By the way, I just want to inform you that Shadow has taken the capital. Aves has fallen and we now control two of the five communities."

"Hmph, Wave isn't defeated yet."

"If only that were true," Rouge tutted.

"What do you mean," Fiona raised an eyebrow, doubt evident in her voice.

"While it is true that your commander wasn't in the capital when we invaded, it wasn't hard to deduce where she went. Without an armed force or a capital, what would I do? As a wise man once said, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Razor or Earthia… I wonder."

"How… how did you know? Nobody knew of our last resort plan," Fiona growled.

"I didn't know. I had a theory, but it was only proven thanks to your response," Rouge said victoriously, a wide smirk crossing her face.

"But-"

"I was a school teacher before this. I know how to get the truth out of people, just like I knew how to get the truth out of my students. Don't flatter yourself Miss Fox, you aren't that hard to read. It's still not too late. Chaos' light shines on us all, just let it enter you and accept his bounty," Rouge urged. "Save your soul."

"My soul is beyond saving, but at least it's not as black as yours," Fiona said gravely.

"Suit yourself," Rouge lowered her gaze as she retreated up the stairs, leaving the frazzled fox to herself and her thoughts.

Blaze stared at her reflection in the murky waters. The face that looked back was almost unrecognizable. It was her face, for sure but something seemed off. Something was different. The usual spark in her eyes or the radiance of her skin were gone. Only sadness enveloped her features. She was torn and didn't know what to do. Ever since she saw Knuckles kiss Tikal everything seemed wrong. Sure, those two had dated for years back when they were all in school, before this world forced them all to grow up far too fast and mature beyond their years, but that was in a world long since gone. They had changed. She thought Knuckles had changed. She thought they had something, but it seemed Tikal had ignited the old spark and his love for her was snuffing out the love he felt for Blaze.

She couldn't fight it. She was done fighting. Fighting to keep Sonic and Tails' secret. Fighting off the crowds of her friends and family to save Sonic and Tails, watching the love of her life perish in the process. Fighting to build a new life, only to see it ripped apart by an apocalyptic typhoon. Fighting against the Leviathan. Fighting against Earthia and her troops. Fighting the whole war against Mobius and now fighting against Tikal and her advances on Knuckles. Her whole life was just one futile battle after another and it had taken a visible toll.

"Hey, is this seat taken?" A deep voice stirred beside her. Blaze whipped her head around to see Knuckles standing beside her. A smile was plastered on his lips but it was weak, lacking true emotion. He was smiling for her, not for himself.

"Sure, it's a free country," Blaze shrugged.

"If only that were true," he lamented aloud as he too stared at the water and not only at his own reflection, but Blaze's sitting next to him. For a few moments, they sat in silence until Knuckles finally spoke up. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Blaze asked, her mind drifting and eyes glazing at the still waters.

"Sorry about Tikal."

"Sorry for kissing her, or sorry that I had to see it," she replied somewhat bitterly.

"Blaze please, don't do this," Knuckles begged, his voice shaky. She wanted to hold a grudge, to stay bitter but she couldn't. She could see it on his face. The sleepless nights. It was taking its toll on him. Not just this war and not just him witnessing a suicide attempt but his decision to choose between Blaze or Tikal.

"Sorry," she exhaled loudly. "It's just… do you still love me? Did you ever really love me?"

"Blaze, are you serious?" Knuckles asked flabbergasted.

"You don't have to be so rude about it," she stood up to leave but was stopped by a muscled arm shooting out to grab her frail wrist. Knuckles held her in place, staring into her watering eyes. Blaze wanted to stay strong. She didn't want to appear weak but she couldn't help it. She couldn't help losing somebody she loved… again.

"No, that's not what I meant. I mean, are you serious that you thought I didn't love you?" Knuckles said sincerely.

"But you and Tikal…"

"Yes," Knuckles sighed. "I still have feelings for her. How could I not? She was my first love. She was always by my side, always stood up for me when the rest of you condemned me for my stupidity. Through all those years, she was the only one who looked past my intellect and saw the person I truly was. The person I've now become."

"Knuckles, you aren't stupid. You're one of the most mature and smart people I know. I saw it, on the island and-"

"Exactly, Blaze. On the island, where academics were meaningless. In a classroom, I was an idiot but in the real world I could handle myself. But Tikal saw that side of me from the beginning when everybody, even you, didn't."

"Well… if that's how you feel," Blaze sniffed, trying to keep her composure. "Then I hope you are happy with Tikal."

"Blaze… it's not that simple," Knuckles sighed again.

"Knuckles please… don't make this any harder than it has to be."

"But it is hard! I can't just leave you. Blaze… I… I l-"

"Don't," she interrupted him. He looked to her, hurt filling his eyes. "Don't say it unless you mean it. Just… please. Figure it out, Knuckles. Sort yourself out first before bringing me… or Tikal, into it. Until then, I'm going to go check on Tails. Chaos knows he needs us now more than you or I need each other." With that, Blaze stood and retreated into the large mess of branches and wood, leaving Knuckles to stare absently into his reflection. He let out a pained, frustrated moan as he slammed his fist into the water, waves rippling the image, distorting it until it wasn't visible any longer.

Blaze grew steadily more worried as she walked further and further into the house, stopping when she was just outside the room that she was first seen in when Earthia welcomed them into her private grotto.

"We need to do this now!" A younger voice urged, raspy and broken as if it pained the speaker to talk.

"I agree," a more controlled and composed yet equally angry voice added.

"Please, there is no time for this. Mother is dead, can we not take a day to mourn her death?" a third, weaker and more peaceful voice contradicted pleadingly. Blaze didn't want to intrude but curiosity got the better of her. She creaked the door open a slit, peering through to see the figures of three people standing around the circular table. Cosmo and Galaxia, the two sisters, at either end and Tails sitting between him.

Blaze had to stifle a gasp as she laid her eyes on him. His eyes were red, several black bags hung low underneath his eyelids like cement blocks, dragging his face downwards. His forehead was wrinkled and his face in a constant frown. His shoulders drooped forward and the only emotion that could be seen on his face was that of frustration.

"Cosmo, please, this needs to be done. Vector is the reason this all happened. The reason this war began. The reason Sonic is acting this way and the reason Earthia is-" Tails urged.

"Please don't say it. Just… please," Cosmo interrupted.

"Cosmo, you can't keep pretending this didn't happen," Galaxia countered angrily. "You can't shield yourself in this protective bubble."

"Why not," Cosmo crossed her arms over her chest childishly."

"Why do you have to be so stubborn?"

"Why do you have to be so controlling?"

"Why can't you see what's really going on? Why can't you see that this is what needs to be done."

"Violence is never the answer. Mother would have never allowed it," Cosmo protested, remaining stagnant to the issue.

"Mother is dead!" Galaxia shouted, raising her arms above her head. Galaxia threw her hands over her mouth after realizing how Cosmo cowered away. "I'm sorry," she lowered her voice. "But you can't let her protect you anymore. She can't. You and I are leaders now. We've lost almost our entire battalion but we still have thousands of innocent people who need our help. We can't give up on them now."

"I'm not giving up on them," Cosmo continued. "But we can't just send the rest of our men to their deaths."

"If we don't then the Mobians will just march right in here and take our land by force," Galaxia argued. "Tell her, Tails."

"Tails, please," Cosmo turned to the fox. The two had grown quite close before the eventful battle against Vapos and Cosmo had done a horrendous job at hiding her obvious feelings towards him. She stared into his eyes pleadingly. "My priority is to my people and keeping them safe. This is a suicide mission. We can't spare any more troops."

"Sorry Cosmo but I agree with Galaxia," Tails said dryly, emotionlessly.

"Tails I-"

"Peace can be achieved if we all head into the heart of Mobius and kill Vector," Tails said with determination. His heart ached, his chest was always tight and a dreary sadness had enveloped him. The only thing that kept him going was the thought of ending this war. The thought of killing Vector and showing Sonic that his thoughts were misplaced. He needed this, no matter what Cosmo thought. He couldn't let anything get in his way.

Cosmo's eyes flitted from Tails to Galaxia, darting between the two. She knew with her heart and her mind that an attack would only end in disaster. She knew that peace could still be achieved, despite what he sister and Tails thought. She had to show dominance and take authority like her mother always taught her. She couldn't be weak. Not now, when all her people are counting on her.

"No."

"What did you say," Galaxia asked, narrowing her eyes.

"No. This is not what mother would have wanted."

"Mother would want us to survive. To thrive!"

"And we can't do this if we just sit here and hide. Don't be spineless, Cosmo. This is why Earthia was going to put me in charge after she stepped down," Galaxia growled.

"Actually… she wasn't," Cosmo sighed.

"What are you getting at?"

"Mother told me to promise not to tell you and let her do it when the time was right but since she… she… anyway, she said she was going to make me the ruler."

"What? Why? That makes no sense. You are younger, less experienced and more fragile," Galaxia countered indignantly.

"Exactly. I'm more fragile, but I'm not fragile at all. You are just too explosive. You're rash, always doing first and thinking secondly. You are a brave general but that kind of behavior is poison for a community as a whole. One must think of everybody before making a decision, not just for themselves and mother thought I would be best for this."

"I can't believe what I'm hearing."

"And as such I am putting my foot down. Nobody is invading Mobius. We will go on the defense."

"Cosmo, please," Tails piped up, finally finding his voice after shrinking to the raging debate between the two sisters. "I can't stay here. I… I won't. Knuckles, Blaze, Tikal and I are going and you can't stop us."

"Tails I…" Cosmo began to argue but stopped herself, exhaling calmly. "I know. And I won't stop you. You are not my prisoner. I wish you would stay and let me protect you but I understand that this is important to you."

"Thank you," Tails nodded. "Thank you for everything you and your family have done for me and my friends. We won't forget this hospitality and helpfulness." With that, Tails turned and shuffled towards the door.

"Wait," Galaxia raised her voice, ignoring the stare she received. "Tails, I will go with you. I can't sit around and do nothing."

"Galaxia I-"

"You what, sis? You can't stop me. If what Tails says is true, mother would still be alive if it wasn't for Vector. If he is responsible for her death, I will avenge her."

"No, you won't," Cosmo challenged. "As your ruler, I forbid it!"

"You forbid it? What happened to you? What happened to my little sister who always had my back despite our arguments?"

"She had to grow up. As soon as the bombs dropped," Cosmo replied gravely.

"Well I guess my sister is gone."

"No, she is still here, just older and more mature. Galaxia, please… I can't do this alone."

"Seems you're doing fine on your own," Galaxia ignored her, storming towards the door brashly.

"Galaxia please. Don't do this, I'm your sister," Cosmo begged.

"You're not my sister anymore. She is gone. But by killing Vector and ending this war, I'll be able to get her back." Galaxia ignored any more pleas from Cosmo as she pushed open the door, ignoring the startled cat luring in the doorway and storming out of the house.

"Cosmo… I," Tails began but couldn't find the words.

"Looks like you got your wish," Cosmo sighed, avoiding eye contact. "You have some of my troops after all. Just go, Tails." Tails opened his mouth to speak but decided against it, dropping his head and shuffling towards the door. He placed his palm on the wood, pushing it as he looked back towards the saddened figure.

"I promise nothing will happen to her. She will return. We both will." With that, Tails let the door shut and shadows enveloped the once vibrant room that Cosmo, Galaxia and Earthia used to always inhabit.

"Hmmm, interesting," Vector mused. "That will be all, thank you, Rouge."

"Anything, sir," Rouge bowed as she turned to depart, leaving Vector to contemplate his next decision on his throne in the spacious room. The concrete evidence of Wave's plan was troubling. Vector knew that if she was able to unite the other communities together against his attack it could be the only thing to stop him. Although Vapos, Zuncon and Aves had lost the majority of their armies, he wouldn't risk the threat. He needed to snuff out the problem once and for all and accelerate his plans.

Vector called his two generals into his throne room. Shadow and Amy rushed in obediently, offering their assistance to his cause.

"Rouge has informed me that Wave is still out there and she is heading to either Vapos or Zuncon in a futile attempt to reunite nature, air and sea against us. We can't let this happen," Vector informed.

"Naturally. I will go take care of her," Shadow announced proudly. "Besides, Wave and I have some unfinished business," he added, stroking the ugly scar that Wave had left him in their last encounter.

"No."

"What?"

"I said no," Vector growled deeply. "Amy, you are to go to Vapos and make sure Wave and Razor never meet."

"Understood," Amy nodded, smirking cynically at the knowledge that she got the job Shadow desperately required.

"Lord Vector. I don't think this is wise. Amy is-" Shadow argued but was silenced by a slap across the face by the back of Vector's hand.

"I said no," Vector repeated. "I have chosen Amy for this job. I need you here, with me for now. This is what Chaos wants, unless you disagree?"

"No, lord Vector," Shadow mumbled as he took a knee graciously, pinching his skin to avoid another outburst as Amy waltzed out of the throne room. "But, my lord, if you don't mind me asking… what about if Wave heads to Zuncon and tries to talk with Earthia and her children instead of Razor?"

"Don't worry, I have somebody on the case," Vector sneered as the door to his throne room opened and a figure cloaked head to toe in black rags entered, their face shrouded in shadows.

"You require my services," the cloaked figure asked. Their presence sent shivers down Shadow's spine.

"I need you to head to Earthia's little grotto and eliminate her children before Wave can make it there to speak with them."

"Anything, my lord," the cloaked figure bowed before turning to sprint out of the room in a flash, intent on reaching its destination on time. Earthia's grotto.

* * *

 _A/N: There you have it. We get to see more of how Vector rose to power and just how enstilled their religion is. Rouge doesn't see herself as the bad guy. She truly believes what she is doing is right and what Fiona is doing is wrong. That was the way she raised. Vector just took that belief and is abusing it. Am I trying to show that religion is evil? Of course not (Even though I've had some angry people tell me I'm demonizing christianity.) I'm just showing how those who use religion to rise to power via fearmongering are evil (Big and Vector). I hope that dialogue between Rouge and Fiona was at least entertaining if not thought provoking :P_

 _Knuckles and Blaze finally talk about the kiss with Tikal but it seems Blaze is finally done. She can't keep this up, and it's up to Knuckles to decide. I hope you understand more why Knuckles is having a hard choice. A lot of you hate Tikal but remember, she was Knuckles first love and they did care for eachother, even if she betrayed him and our two heroes._

 _And of course, the title is a parody of Dicken's famous book. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, except that none of this is 'the best' in this scenario. Sonic is absent, Tails has tried suicide, eveybody is a mess. Obviously its a tale between two sisters as the power devide between the two needs to be filled and they both have very different ideals. The shy, calculating Cosmo wants peace whilst the outspoken, rash Galaxia wants to get vengeance. They are both dealing with the loss but in very different ways. As it turns out, however, Galaxia will be joining Tails, Knuckles, Blaze and Tikal as they begin to make their way into the heart of Mobius to face Vector. However, will the mysterious cloaked figure stop them before they can leave? Yet, before that we need to go check up on everybody's favourite speedster, next time so don't forget to please leave a review to let me know what you thought._

 _Qotd: It's time to get the teams straight. Are you team Shadow or team Amy? Team Tikal or team Blaze? Team Cosmo or team Galaxia? Who should be Vector's #1, who should Knuckles choose and who should lead the Zuncons?_

Next time on Sontails: War of Faith - Chapter 15: Murderous Mactons


	15. Chapter 15: Murderous Mactons

_A/N: Sorry for the delay, I've just been putting a lot of my effort into SHEL at the moment, and I have a limited amount of free time but fret not, I won't give up on the story. The stakes are only getting higher, and there's still 9 more chapters to go. And things don't stop ramping up until the epic climax in Chapter 24. Make sure to read the footer A/N because I have some important information you should know._

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Chapter 15

Murderous Mactons

Even alive, the city seemed dead. A dead world on a lifeless, desert landscape. The buildings and skyscrapers, like the decomposing fingers of the decrepit giant growing out from the desolate sandy surface, shielded by cold steel and menacing metal, dominated the skyline.

Even the organic part of the city seemed dead, the part that determined the character and the structure of the man-made city. People, cyborgs, coated with metal plating and updated with wires driving the cars, trains and busses that filled the bustling city centre. Others waited patiently as the moving roads carried them where they wanted to go.

The people continued undeterred as the malevolent sun beat down upon them with its powerful gaze, drowning the city in the absorbed heat. The city was always quieter during the day, which surprised Sonic. The neon glow of the vibrant lights hadn't yet been activated.

Sonic sighed, sitting in his room near the top of Shard's tower, resting his elbow on the window sill as he gazed over the city, wishing he was anywhere else. It had been over a week since the battle. It had been over a week since all his friends died in a fiery explosion dropped by the Avian drones.

Many times, Sonic expressed the urge to return to Vapos to make sure Razor was okay. Many times, he expressed the urge to go on the offensive and defeat Vector, achieving the vengeance that had consumed his body. However, many times Shard dodged his requests and ignored his pleas.

Sonic was confused. Shard had been nothing if not nice to him. Supporting him in his time of need and offering a place of solace for Sonic to feel safe and grieve. Meals were delivered to his room and he could roam around the palace if he wished if escorted by one of Shard's guards. He was thankful at first, but he had grieved. Now all he wanted to do was leave and it was as if Shard was stopping him. Delaying what Sonic presumed was their inevitable departure. Now, a place once a sanctuary from death and depression was now a prison. One specifically designed… to hold Sonic.

The sun grew low on the horizon, orange hues streaking across the salmon coloured sky as somebody knocked on the door.

"Come in," Sonic called from his bed, yawning as he rubbed some sleep out of his eye. That's all Sonic seemed to be doing lately. Watching the city below him and sleeping nightmarish dreams.

"How are you doing this evening," Zespio asked, carrying a tray full of food.

"Just a bit restless," Sonic groaned as he stood up, stretching out the kinks in his neck and loosening the muscles in his arms. "I think I might just go for a jog around the city," Sonic continued casually as he dodged past Zespio and walked towards the door. However, before Sonic could make a break for it Zespio's robotic arm shot out, blocking his exit.

"Sorry, I can't allow that," Zespio replied stoically.

"What, so I'm a prisoner now," Sonic replied bitterly, fed up with his confinement.

"No, not at all," Zespio responded casually.

"Then why can't I leave?"

"Shard is not back yet from his diplomatic mission."

"Shard's gone?"

"Yes, but he should be back in a few hours. He has gone to Aves to talk with Wave, making sure the aerial strikes that destroyed the Vaposian and Zuncon armies will not be repeated," Zespio explained calmly. "I would advise you to stay here until he returns. Afterwards you may roam around freely."

"Okay, fair enough," Sonic admitted defeat as he walked back over and flopped down on his bed. "Just leave the food on the floor, I'll get to it soon," Sonic waved away the guard, who shrunk out of the room muttering under his breath. Sonic waited until he heard the electronic beep, signifying the door had locked before he got to work. He knew he didn't have long before Shard returned but he needed to find out what was going on. Something fishy was going on in Macton and he didn't want to wait around to find out.

…

Under cover of darkness was when Sonic made his escape. The clouds hugged the city, blocking out the eerie glow from the moon. Sonic tugged on his bed sheets, making sure the nots he had created to hold the fabric together would waver and untie. Once sure of their strength, he dropped them out the window, watching as the red velvet lacing draped down the side of the tall tower Sonic was trapped in.

"Goodbye, I'm not gonna miss this place," Sonic said humourlessly as he took one last glance around the small room that provided him shelter in his time of need. No matter how he looked at it, the shackles of prison couldn't stop his mind from contorting the images of this room to that of hell. He needed to get out. Now.

He tied the taut end of the sheets to his bed, gripped the fabric and began to lower himself out the window, abseiling down. His make-shift rope wasn't long, no more than twenty meters, but it was long enough for him to lower himself to the room below.

A large drone flew overhead as he hopped out of the window. Sonic pressed his face against the cold marble, hoping to avoid being spotted. The ship above him continued to fly overhead, slowly lowering down behind the building to a spot hidden from Sonic's view. Sonic breathed a sigh of relief and continued his descent.

The cold hit Sonic almost immediately, like an icy blast as soon as he was out of the warmed room. The frosty chill of the night air whipped through his quills and licked his skin, choking the breath out of him like the frozen fingers of a phantom. He sucked in air sporadically, his breath visible in his shaky, uneasy exhales. He could feel the harsh bite of the cold through his shirt. He wished he had a jumper. His knuckles grew white as his fingers began to grow numb as he slowly lowered himself further. He could feel the blood leaving his extremities to warm his more vital areas. He was losing grip fast; he didn't know how much longer he could hold on.

The wind berating his skin left small bumps tingling his arm, but the pain was more than flesh deep. Sonic's blood ran cold and his heart stopped as his fingers began to untangle and his grip loosened on the bedsheets. Before he knew what was happening, he was falling through the air, wind rushing up his shorts.

It all happened in the span of a few seconds.

Sonic bit his tongue, staving off the blood-curdling scream that was threatening to escape his lips. He knew he had one chance to prevent a gruesome, violent end to his life. He concentrated, reaching out in a desperate attempt to grip onto the ledge of the window below him. With a grunt, his hands hit the ledge and his numb fingers latched onto the side, ceasing his descent. He groaned softly as the strain on his arms sent shockwaves through his body.

Sonic vibrated with pain but ground his teeth together, his resolve to live and enact his vengeance on his father proving too strong to let him give up now. Slowly, with great difficulty, he heaved his body up onto the window and in a messy fall he rolled through the window and crashed to the floor.

He breathed a sigh of relief, his chest rising and falling as he tried to catch his breath. He allowed the warmth of the room to enter his body, heating his chilled skin, and the blood to rush back to his extremities.

As the adrenaline final died down and felling resumed throughout his body, Sonic glanced around the room. Before he had time to fully take his surroundings in, he froze and held his breath. There, sleeping right next to where he had tumbled in, was Zespio, the guard. His snoring ripped through the room. Sonic couldn't believe he hadn't noticed it earlier but was too preoccupied with the astonishment of still being alive.

Sonic rose slowly, making sure to make no sound at all until he was standing in the middle of the room. He turned and began to tiptoe over to the door when he heard a noise from behind him. He halted, his body growing stiff as he stood as still as a statue.

"No mum, I don't want anymore green beans," Zespio muttered as he rolled over. Sonic sighed, his pulse returning to normal as he continued over to the door and quietly slipped out. The door beeped behind him, signaling that he was in the clear and instantly Sonic pounded his feet against the floor and sprinted down the corridor over to the steps.

Sonic wasted no time at all barreling down the winding staircase, busting out the bottom and turning to sprint down the labyrinth of corridors and hallways. It was like a maze at the base of the tower. Crisp, white walls, not a stain anywhere with mechanical doors. It was like a hospital, but everything looked exactly the same.

Suddenly, as Sonic turned around a corner he froze, quickly darting back behind for cover as he peeked his head out to spy on the new occupants of the hallway. There, two large guards stood outside a protected door.

'There's gotta be something important behind there,' Sonic thought as he studied the doors. Before he could formulate a plan to get in, the doors began to slowly slide open and Shard waltzed out, brushing off dust from his uniform.

"Welcome back, sir," one of the guards saluted him. "I hope your trip to Mobius was prosperous." Sonic's eyes narrowed as he silently snarled.

'Why would Shard have gone to Mobius unless…' the thought struck him as hard as a truck. Anger surged through his veins, boiling his blood as he watched Shard with newfound disgust. 'He's working with Vector!'

"How's our guest?" Shard asked.

"Still in his room. He is starting to get restless."

"Come with me. It's time to accelerate our plans anyway," Shard instructed as he strode off purposefully down the hallway, followed by the two guards. Sonic quickly made his move, sprinting over to the now unguarded door and slipping inside just before the doors slammed shut behind him.

"What's so important in here?" Sonic asked aloud to the room shrouded in darkness. "I wonder where the light switch is so I can turn these light's on?"

 _Lights on._ Sonic jumped with a start as a feminine, mechanical voice repeated his command and obliged. Slowly, one by one the slow hum of electricity surged above his head and the lights hanging from the room of the large hanger blared to life. Sonic gasped as he took in his surroundings, unable to believe his eyes.

"Shard… how could he?" Sonic lamented aloud as he was finally able to piece together all the pieces. He stood at the door of a large hanger. A steel runway lined the center and mounted to the walls were hundreds of drones. The same drones that Sonic had seen drop the bombs on the battlefield.

"I've got to warn the other communities," Sonic worried aloud. He knew time was of the essence. It would only be a matter of time before Shard realized he escaped from his room. Sonic wasted no time, racing over to one of the drones and climbing onto it. He tried to pry open the hatch at the top but was unable to. It was only once he looked inside that he realised why.

"They are controlled remotely?" Sonic asked rhetorically, noticing the controls inside the drone, but nowhere for a pilot to sit. He hopped off and ran to the next one, and the next but each one offered the same result. Sonic began to panic, the thought that he had reached a dead end suffocating him. Things only seemed to go from bad to worse when a loud siren began blaring, the room bathed in a red warning light.

"Sonic escaped. I repeat, find Sonic the Hedgehog," Shard's voice echoed through the hangar through a loudspeaker mounted in the corner. Sonic's pulse raced as he feverishly checked drone after drone.

"Think Sonic… think," Sonic scolded himself, knowing that Shard was getting closer and closer to recapturing him. Suddenly, it clicked. Sonic knew Shard had come out of the hanger, meaning there had to be at least one drone that was pilotable. Sonic strained his eyes, scanning the spacious hangar until he spotted them. In the other end, a bunch of larger drones.

Sonic sprinted over and jumped up onto one, peering inside to see a chair and physical instruments.

"Bingo!" Sonic smirked as he tried to pry open the hatch. Eventually, he managed to wrench open the casing in the cockpit and jump inside, closing it behind him. Sonic glanced around at the glowing, buzzing instruments. He had no idea how to fly. He quickly began pressing buttons and flipping switches randomly, hoping one would work but nothing happened.

"Come on, you stupid machine. Start already! Chaos-damint, turn on!"

 _Turning on._ Again, Sonic was surprised by the mechanical, calming voice. It was as if it was responding to his voice commands. Intrigued, Sonic continued to make commands, hoping his hunch was right.

"Disconnect," Sonic shouted as he glanced out the glass windscreen to see the doors to the hangar begin to slide open.

 _Disconnecting._ The drone fell to the floor with a thud, sparks flying. Sonic cursed as he quickly fumbled with the switches. He saw a green one light up with had the word thrust printed on it. He slammed his index finger against it and the engines began to whirl, the thrusters alighting underneath him to lift the ship off the ground.

"There he is!" He heard Shard's familiar voice calling out. However, this time instead of the normal charm and care in his voice, it had completely changed to one of cold, calculating menace. "Don't let him escape!"

Sonic grabbed the two-pronged steering device nestled in front of his lap and pulled down on the throttle.

"Open hangar door!" Sonic yelled.

 _Opening hangar door._ Sonic gripped the handles as the ship lifted off the ground and began to soar forward, approaching the doors.

"Arg!" Shard cursed aloud. "Turn off the voice automated control, stop him from accessing the system."

"We can't do that sir, the system was designed flawlessly to run on our generators so that it would never malfunction," Zespio replied.

"Who the hell programmed it like that?" Shard snapped.

"You did sir," Zespio replied. Shard bellowed angrily as he watched Sonic soar out of the hanger door and out into the night sky in one of the stolen, pilotable drones.

Once Sonic was finally free, and the lights of Macton were shrinking underneath him as he soared off into the atmosphere he let himself take a breather and focused on the more important task at hand. Flying. The drone was wonky and Sonic was struggling to keep it level. He was worried he was going to start diving any second.

"Engage auto-pilot?" Sonic spoke aloud uncertainly.

 _Auto Pilot engaged. Where to?_

"Wow… I can't believe that worked," Sonic laughed, allowing a breath of brevity. "Set coordinates for the capital of Vapos."

 _Setting course for Vapos._ The mechanical voice confirmed his demands and took control out of Sonic's grasp. Sonic leant back at gave himself much needed rest and relaxation as the drone whisked him away from the murderous Mactons and back over to the solace of Razor and the Vaposian community.

…

Shard paced backwards and forwards in his office room, a permanent scowl plastered on his face. It wasn't until the eerie chime sounded from the door did Shard finally cease his movement and glower to the incoming individual.

"Where have you been, Zonic?" Shard growled angrily.

"Sleeping. It's one in the bloody morning," Zonic snapped back bitterly. However, he immediately bit his tongue when he saw the rage induced look that Shard shot his way. Zonic was never one to back down from his superior but seeing the look of complete anger in Shard's eye was enough to scare even the bravest souls. "S-Sorry…"

"Take off your clothes and remove your mechanical parts," Shard instructed darkly.

"But-"

"Don't talk back, just do it," Shard commanded. Zonic reluctantly agreed, removing everything until he was left standing bare. "Now put these on," Shard threw some bandages, red shoes and a brown bandana at Zonic, who quickly wrapped them around his arms, legs and new shoes. It was if he was transformed, the spitting image of Sonic. A complete doppelganger straight out of a mirror. The resemblance was uncanny.

"What now?"

"Sonic escaped, he's probably going to Razor. We can't let him discover his friends are still alive. I need you to go to Zuncon and kill them, now!"

…

"Take her to the arena, quickly," Abyss the squid commanded as she lead two guards through the Vaposian city. The guards dragged a prisoner behind them, their head covered by a leather bag, blacking out their senses. Abyss made quick word navigating over to the gigantic, stone colosseum located near the center of the city.

Abyss and the guards dragged the prisoner through the small tunnel and out into the arena, across the water-filled moat that encircled the circumference, used for many sporting events held in Vapos. A small, rectangular stage had been constructed in the center of the arena with a primitive wooden structure looming upwards. A noose hung down from the bar above.

"Murderer!" The crowd hissed as the prisoner was lead up to the stage.

"Today we will have vengeance for the atrocities committed at the battle held against the Zuncons!" Razor bellowed, standing tall in the middle of the stage, addressing the cheering crowd.

"You have broken our laws and murdered out people, along with the Zuncon people and for this, there is no pardon. You're sky birds dropped bombs decimating thousands of brave Vaposian men and women that day. For this, you will be hanged!" A thunderous applause erupted from the bloodthirsty crowd, their eyes alight with malice as the whet their appetites waiting to see the prisoner hanged.

"Please, you have to believe me, I have no idea what you are talking about. I came here to warn you about the Mobians!" The prisoner begged.

"Likely story," Razor spat as he gripped the noose with one hand. "You're lies are meaningless now. It's time to face punishment for your war crimes…" Razor continued as he gripped the leather sac placed on the prisoner's head and removed it with a mighty tug. "…Wave the swallow!"

* * *

 _A/N: Last chapter was all about Tails and the gang with no Sonic, so it's time to see what Sonic has been up to since the musical special. Don't worry, there will be more Sonic, and more Tails, next chapter._

 _Poor Wave, looks like her plan backfired. Remember, Razor thinks Wave was the one who dropped the bombs, and he's the type of leader to act first and ask questions second. Looks like this might be the end for poor Wave. Sonic has escaped Shard, learning the truth and Shard is not happy. Zonic, or should I say fake Sonic, has now been sent to Zuncon to finish off Tails, Knuckles, Blaze and Tikal. But that's exactly where Vector sent his special Assassin too? Cosmo and Galaxia might have been able to stop one, but both of them? While tensions are raised and they are fighting one another too? Make sure to review and let me know your thoughts and theories! I love hearing from each and every one of you._

 _IMPORTANT INFORMATION: I will be travelling to America for three months in June and am unsure if I will be able to finish another chapter before I leave. I will try, but if not I will supply an update about the hiatus all my stories will be on, as well as a special apology gift regarding this story, so stay tuned!_

Next time on Sontails: War of Faith - Chapter 16: The Assassin


	16. Chapter 16: The Assassin

_A/N: Sorry it's been so long but I'm finally back from my holiday and I'm ready to begin writing again. We start back right where we left off. Sonic has escaped Macton and Shard's clutches, Tails, Blaze, Knuckles and Tikal are still in Zuncon with Cosmo and Galaxia and Wave is about to be hanged in Vapos by Razor. So, without further ado, enjoy._

* * *

Chapter 16

The Assassin

Shadows doused the entire grotto in darkness. The moon, a phantom crescent hanging low in the sky, was shrouded by clouds that hid its luminescent glow. Tails stirred in his sleep, as usual. The young kit still had troubles sleeping, each dream that seeped through his subconscious contorted into a nightmare without fail. Knuckles lay next to him, fast asleep yet in an equally unsure state. Blaze and Tikal slept soundly in the adjacent room, neither one concerned with earthly problems. And finally, in the next room, Galaxia and Cosmo slept. Before bed, Galaxia had gathered some of her troops that would aid her and the teenagers in their trip to Mobius. About thirty men were set to accompany her at first dawn.

However, although all inside Earthia's wooded hut-like home, not all was quiet. Movement outside, a shadow streaking through the night, as quiet as a mouse. It dodged between branches disturbing nothing but the water below.

The shadow landed in silence on the spindly branches that meshed together to create a platform outside of the hut. A quick break in the clouds overhead revealed the shadow to the surrounding insects of the grotto. A figure, dressed head to toe in an ashen cloak scanned its surroundings before sneaking into the hut.

The cloaked figure tiptoed through the hallways, searching each room until it found the one it was looking for. Slowly inching open the door, it peered inside to see the sleeping figures of both Tails and Knuckles. The figure crouched to the floor, pulling out a small, silver dagger and got ready to pounce.

Three quick seconds past before the figure bounded off its heels and flew silently through the air, dagger outstretched as it soared towards the bed where Tails lay. Tails stirred, frustrated that he couldn't sleep yet again and sat up to open his eyes, rubbing sleep out of them. He turned his head just in time to see the glint of the dagger soar towards him. All Tails could do was let out a loud, blood curdling scream before the figure descended upon him, dagger first.

…

"It's time to face punishment for yer war crimes…" Razor continued as he gripped the leather sac placed on the prisoner's head and removed it with a mighty tug. "…Wave the swallow!"

The sudden light pained Wave as she scrunched her face, letting her eyes slowly adjust to her surroundings. She found herself inside a large, circular stone arena. She swiveled her head, only seeing countless enraged faces standing up and yelling in the stands all around her. She looked above her, noticing the primitive, yet effective, noose hanging from a bar above her.

"Razor, you can't be serious. I didn't do anything, I came here to warn you about Vector and the Mobians," Wave urged, struggling to break free of her binds. It was fruitless.

"You sent those flying monstrosities to bomb our people in a fight that didn't even concern you. A cowardly act at best, destroying both our armies in one fell swoop," Razor bellowed, making sure the crowd could hear. A chorus of boos filled the arena.

"Why would I attack you?" Wave protested meekly, knowing it was impossible to argue with the angered shark.

"You used this time of war to get everybody in one area. Just so you could wipe us all out and take the land of the five communities all for yerself and Aves," Razor spat angrily. Wave panicked, her eyes darting all around her but everywhere she looked her gaze was met with angered glares. It seemed that the entire remaining population of Vapos was out to watch the execution. Everyone hissed, booed and shouted, waiting for their bloodlust to be satiated in her death. Everyone except one bystander draped in a pink hood. The person watched, still and calculating.

"It's time," Razor forced, gripping Wave's arms tightly behind her back as Abyss pulled down the noose and positioned it around Wave's head, tightening it. The two stepped back and Razor grabbed the long, metal pole that functioned as a lever for their primitive gallows.

"Any last words?" Razor asked, as was customary.

"Not like you would hear them anyway," Wave concluded darkly as she closed her eyes and accepted her fate. "I'm sorry Jet," she whispered silently to herself as she held her breath and waited for death to come.

"Very well. Three. Two. On-" Razor counted down to signify the end but was interrupted by a large, loud flurry of wind. It was like a cyclone had swept through the arena. A dark shadow was cast down upon them, throwing the entire arena in darkness. Wave opened her eyes, confusion washing over her as she saw bystanders scurrying around frantically. People pushed each other out of the way, knocking anybody to the ground who stood in their way. In the panic, the figure in pink was knocked off balance and they toppled into the arena, landing with a thud and rolling off to the side yet nobody focused on them. Razor, Wave, Abyss and the few Vaposians who weren't hastening to the exits looked above them as a large, flying ship descended into the arena.

The wind finally settled as the turbines of the drone cut out and none other than Sonic stepped out of the pilot hatch. He jumped to the floor, landing with one knee as he straightened his body and sprinted as fast as sound up onto the raised platform and pushed Razor out of the way.

"Sonic?" Razor gasped, stumbling backwards from the force. "But… but yer dead. You were killed by her?"

"No, I survived and I came here to ask for your help once again," Sonic explained.

"I'm kind of in the middle of something," Razor grumbled gruffly, reasserting his dominance and once again took control of the situation, snatching the lever back from the hedgehog.

"What are you doing? Don't kill her," Sonic called out with worry."

"You don't understand. She sent those flying things that killed and wounded us all."

"It wasn't her," Sonic protested.

"It had to have been. If not her and her people, then who?"

"Shard, leader of the Mactons!" Sonic argued.

"What proof do you have?" Razor challenged, his eyes narrowing to slits. Sonic turned his head and pointed at the large flying, pilotable drone that he had flown, and parked right in the middle of the arena.

"After the blast, I went to search for survivors and was knocked out. I woke up in Shard's palace in Macton where he helped shelter me," Sonic clarified. "At lease I thought he was, but I discovered a hangar when escaping and found all these drones. The same ones that bombed the battlefield. It was never Wave. It was Shard!"

"Shard. Yer sure?" Sonic stared at Razor, their eyes locking. Sonic had never been so sure of anything in his life. Razor saw this immediately and instructed Abyss to release Wave. Abyss begrudgingly agreed, removing the noose from around her neck.

"Thanks Sonic, I owe you one," Wave smiled thankfully.

"After all you've done for me… this just makes us even," he smirked.

"And Razor," Wave turned to him. "I didn't come here to create more conflict. I came to help end it. I need your help."

"With what?"

"Mobius has taken down Aves. They control the entire south and central of the continent. Only this coast, the forest and swamps of Zuncon and the northern deserts of Macton are left but soon Vector will control them all. We need to stop him before it's too late."

"You propose an alliance?" Razor asked.

"Together we can drive him back just like our ancestors did one hundred years ago. Together we can-" Wave suddenly was cut off as a loud bang echoed through the arena. Sonic, Abyss and Razor all looked around frantically but Wave stood still, motionless.

"Wave are you alright?" Sonic asked. Suddenly, the swallow fell to her knees, clutching her chest before falling face first onto the wooden platform. "WAVE!" Sonic called out as he knelt down beside her, rolling her over onto her back. Her purple feathers pressing into her chest were stained crimson, the ruby red blood oozing through her fingers.

"S-Sonic…" Wave coughed, barely clinging to life as she lost the feeling in her arms and legs.

"Wave, don't worry we can get you help."

"It's too late. Please, stop Vector and save everybody…" she coughed, blood spurting from her mouth before her lids grew heavy and her head fell to one side, limp. Wave was dead.

"Seize them," Razor bellowed angrily but Abyss was way ahead of him. As Wave fell to the ground, she had leapt into action, sprinting over to the individual in pink and knocked the smoking gun out of her hand. Abyss grabbed the assailant's hands and whipped them around behind their back. They screamed in pain. Sonic and Razor watched as Abyss forced them down to their knees and ripped off the hood.

"A-Amy?" Sonic mumbled in bewilderment.

"Didn't think you'd ever see me again, did you," she cackled maniacally, showing rows of white teeth. Her eyes glinting maliciously as she locked gazes with Sonic. She finally found him.

…

Tails had no time to react, no time to think. Instinctively, he fell back to his bed and rolled sideways, collapsing to the floor with a loud thud as he continued to scream.

"Wha?" Knuckles snapped awake, immediately on alert as he scanned the room. His eyes grew wide as he met the gaze of the irate intruder now crouched on Tails' bed. "Who… who are you?" Knuckles asked shakily as he slowly rose to his feet. The cloaked figure didn't make a sound. Instead they just spun the dagger around in their small hand and focused on the red echidna.

Tails sat up, his head pounding after colliding with the ground. The world was still spinning and he collapsed to his knees as he tried to stand. He watched, the world around him fuzzy and uncertain. The cloaked figure slowly approached Knuckles, weapon raised as Knuckles backed up, his back pressed firmly against the wall. Tails knelt helplessly, unable to do anything but call out his friend's name.

"Knuckles," Tails croaked, his voice scratchy and distant. Before Tails could register what was happening, the door to their bedroom swung open and Tikal and Blaze rushed in. Tikal froze in the doorway, impeding Blaze's advances as her gaze swept from Knuckles over to the cloaked figure.

"Move," Blaze bellowed from behind her, pushing Tikal out of the way. She sprinted headfirst into the unaware figure, knocking them off balance. Their knees buckled and they fell to the floor, rolling into the wall. Blaze ran over to Knuckles' aid.

"Help Knuckles," he protested as he ran over to Tikal and grabbed her hand. "We need to run, now." Blaze rushed over and helped Tails to his feet. The world had stopped spinning but Tails' thoughts still could quite make the connections to his brain. He wasn't sure how to do anything but his feet instinctively began to run on their own, following Blaze, Tikal and Knuckles out of the wooden shack.

"What was that?" Cosmo asked in the hallway.

"Are we under attack?" Galaxia cursed, surrounded by ten of her close guards, including Lumina. The teenagers said nothing, just sprinted passed the confused looking twin rulers of Zuncon. Their alarmed looks only confirmed Galaxia's fears. Before she could say more, the cloaked assailant shot out into the hallway.

"Galaxia, surely we can resolve this peacefully," Cosmo asked assuredly.

"Sister. Run," Galaxia commanded, her eyes cold and calculating as she turned and ordered her guards to stop the intruder. Cosmo stood her ground but instantly regretted her decision. Her eyes clouded over, filled with fear and dread as she watched the cloaked figure bound off the ground, soaring through the air and slicing the throat of the first two guards.

The other seven surrounded the assassin as Lumina grabbed Cosmo by the hand and forcibly removed her from the building. The two sprinted out of the hut and across the small platform of intertwined branches until they jumped off onto the small path that winded its way through the swampy forests of Zuncon.

"Where's Galaxia?" Blaze asked as Cosmo and Lumina caught up to the others. Cosmo's hands fell to her knees as she panted, unable to catch her breath.

"She… held back… fighting." Suddenly, as if their greatest fears were answered, the cloaked figure emerged out of the main entrance, their ashen cloak stained with dark blood. They turned, an evil glint in their eye as they bounded high into the air, grabbing a low hanging branch and swinging themselves up on top of it.

"RUN!" Knuckles bellowed as the six of them turned and footed off down the winding path. Tails chanced a glance backwards. He saw the rogue darting from branch to branch way up high in the tree's, gaining on them. Whilst preoccupied, Tails' foot was caught underneath a particularly thick tree root and he fell, his nose greeted painfully by the rough ground below.

"Tails," Blaze called, skidding to a halt but Cosmo was faster. She doubled back and tried to help the fox to his feet. She wasn't quick enough. The assassin took their window of opportunity and fell from the tree, landing on top of Lumina. The assassin grabbed both sides of the guard's head and twisted. A loud snapping sound echoed through the forest as Lumina fell limply to the ground. Cosmo stumbled backwards, falling with a thud to the ground in front of the imposing intruder. The cloaked figure towered over her, unsheathing its dagger again from within the darkness of their robes.

"Please," Cosmo stammered, clamoring around helplessly on the ground. "We don't need to fight. Violence is never the answer, we can solve this peacefully." The cloaked figure shook its head and reeled back its hand. Without so much as a squeak, it plunged the dagger forward until it was lodged deep into flesh. With an assured twist, the assassin wrenched the crimson soaked blade free, an annoyed scowl plastered on their face.

"S-Sorry to d-d-disappoint you," Galaxia smirked before falling to the ground. Cosmo shrieked, crawling over to the body of her sister.

"Why'd you jump in front of me?" Cosmo sniffed, tears welling in her eyes.

"Z-Zuncon needs y-y-you," Galaxia coughed, her words trembling in her throat. She could feel her body growing cold and knew she only had a few short moments left before she bled out.

"No. You were always the better leader. You were stronger, braver and…"

"And I lacked compassion," Galaxia finished. "You were b-b-born for this. Like m-mother always wanted. Save us… save th-th-them," Galaxia rose a shaky finger and pointed at the teenagers watching before the life fully drained out of her.

"No!" Cosmo shrieked, craning her head skywards as she howled into the night. However, as the two sisters said their goodbyes, rage had erupted within Knuckles. Before the cloaked figure had a chance to interrupt the grieving farewell, he had charged at top speed into the rogue, taking them by surprise and knocking them to the ground.

The assassin stumbled to the ground and landed painfully on their arm, letting a yelp of pain emerge. Tails froze. That voice… it sounded so… familiar.

"No…" he breathed as he stepped forward, breathing deeply. "It can't be…" The assassin tried to rise but a sharp pain shot through them. They dropped their dagger and clutched the arm they had fallen on, wincing in pain.

"Tails, what are you doing? Even with a broken arm they could still be dangerous," Tikal warned but Tails was deaf to her. All he could do was slowly approach the figure, hoping against hope his suspicions were wrong. The figure took a tentative step back, noticing both Knuckles and Blaze approach them from either side out of the corner of their eye. It was at that moment that Cosmo had let out her mighty howl, gaining the figure's attention for only a split second. That's all Knuckles needed.

He pounced, sending a strong punch deep into the assassin's gut, sending them flying off their feet. They hit the ground, another pained gasp of anguish escaping their mouth as their fractured arm hit the ground. The cloaked figure rolled along the ground to a stop.

Gasps filled the air. The figure furrowed their brow as they slowly rose to a stand again, looking at the teenagers with all of their mouths wide open.

"No way…" Blaze stammered.

"How is that even possible?" Knuckles asked, flabbergasted. The figure felt the wind whip the back of their head and realized that, as they had rolled along the ground, their hood had fallen to reveal their face. Her face.

"Cream," Tails announced. Before they had a chance to size the impaired rabbit, Cream turned and dashed off, holding her pained arm as she disappeared into the shadows of the forest. Tails turned to Tikal, his face more serious than ever before as he stared at Tikal.

"You have some explaining to do."

* * *

 _A/N: And there we have it. Cream was the cloaked figure in Vector's throne room the whole time and she was the assassin in disguise. The last major character from the last story has finally come into play. You didn't think I forgot about poor little Cream, did you? But how did she go from that to a badass assassin in the three months Sonic spent on the island? I guess it's thankful we have Tikal to give us all the backstory exposition we need on our villains, isn't it? And you guys still seem to hate her. What would I do without her?_

 _Both Wave AND Galaxia died this chapter. At it looks like Amy might be meeting a greusome end next chapter. Let's just say there is much more death to come before the 100 day war is over, mark my words._

 _As promised, I said if I wasn't able to supply a new chapter before I left I would give an apology gift. So here it is, the titles of the remaining chapters of this story. I warn you, although they don't convey everything, titles can always be slightly spoilery so you have been warned._

 _Chapter 17: The Price of War  
Chapter 18: The Calm Before the Storm  
Chapter 19: Memories  
Chapter 20: Fiona Fires Back  
Chapter 21: Back-Up Blunder  
Chapter 22: Castle Throne Room  
Chapter 23: The Flood  
Chapter 24: The Final Stand  
Epilogue_

 _So as you can see, just like last story this one will have 24 chapters but since this is not a trilogy, and I have no intentions of making this a trilogy, I will supply an epilogue to nicely rap up all 48 chapters and Sonic and Tails big story. So please, stay tuned and hopefully this will all be over before the new year :) And please, don't forget to review, it helps inspire me and makes me smile._

Next time on Sontails: War of Faith - Chapter 17: The Price of War


	17. Chapter 17: Price of War

_A/N: Sorry for the wait, important A/N at the bottom._

* * *

Chapter 17

The Price of War

 _It was hard to describe the feeling that stirred within me. Depression? No, because I wasn't sad. I was more annoyed than sad. Anger? Well, yes, I was extremely angry, rage coursed through my veins and boiled my blood, but that isn't the word I'd use. Disappointed? Yes, Big was a massive disappointment but he's dead now so it doesn't matter. Annoyed, no, Infuriated. That's what I was feeling more than anything as I stood on the shore beside Vector watching the small boat that carried Blaze, Knuckles, Tails and Sonic further and further away until they were just a speck on the horizon._

 _Shadow growled out as he ripped off his shirt and dove into the stirring waters, swimming as fast as he could. The boat was almost invisible when he had swum no more than fifty meters. He wasn't the greatest swimmer, neither was Sonic. He didn't care._

 _"_ _Make sure he doesn't drown," Vector growled to me as he turned and addressed the crowd of angry onlookers. I huffed in annoyance, calling to Shadow as I waded out into the water. I think he finally understood how fruitless his attempt to chase them down was because it took little coercion to convince him to come back to shore._

 _"_ _You're an idiot," I reprimanded him as I let him drape his arms around my shoulders, sputtering out swallowed seawater. "You almost drowned."_

 _"_ _They got away," he spat bitterly, avoiding my scolding. I looked at him as we slumped down onto the sand, feverishly out of breath. He turned to me. I'll never forget the look in his eyes. They had glazed over, misty and black. Something had snapped in him. It was like he was possessed, taken over by this insatiable need. Bloodlust. Bloodlust that couldn't be quenched because Sonic and Tails had escaped us forever. I knew they wouldn't last in the ocean. I knew they'd be dead within a couple days, but that didn't curb his need. I wish I knew back then that something had snapped in Shadow. It would have saved me a whole lot of heartbreak._

 _"_ _You two, get up," Vector barked at us as he towered over us menacingly. The sky still rained down from above, drowning the earth._

 _"_ _What do you want," Shadow snarled emotionlessly._

 _"_ _Is that anyway to talk to your new leader?"_

 _"_ _Leader?" I stammered. To this day I didn't know what he said to them. I wasn't sure how he corralled the crowd, but it must have been some speech. He was the father of the one that started the war. I assumed he would be lynched, him and Sally, but he spoke to everybody while I was saving Shadow and whatever he said resonated with the town._

 _"_ _Yes, now you used to be my son's girlfriend, correct?" Vector asked. I was surprised how little he really knew about his son, but I did notice the bruises that used to appear on Sonic's face at school. I knew Vector used to beat him. I always hated him for it. I couldn't understand why somebody would want to hurt a single hair on Sonic's head. I do now. I can imagine my surprise if I knew back then that he would become my boss and mentor._

 _"_ _She wished she was," Shadow added unhelpfully._

 _"_ _You were his close friend?" Vector turned to Shadow questioningly._

 _"_ _That's the funniest joke I've heard all day."_

 _"_ _You've got some nerve, kid."_

 _"_ _Look," I interrupted the two. "Sonic and I dated briefly because I forced him to, but Shadow and Sonic always despised each other. They were rivals," I explained._

 _"_ _So out of everybody that's still here, you knew the most about my son, and Tails?"_

 _"_ _I guess so," I shrugged. "Us and Tikal."_

 _"_ _You'll have to introduce us later," Vector thought aloud. "But for now, I would like you two to come back to my place. We have much to discuss."_

 _The next morning, we held a funeral for Big. Nobody really noticed the bodies of a green hawk and grey albatross the night we chased you, but it did seem strange. Most of us thought nothing of it, but Vector must have known. He came to Shadow and I and told us to prepare for the worst. Sure enough, the next day Wave lead an army from the north to attack us. While everybody ran around like headless chickens, scared out of their mind, Vector managed to fend them off. He was quite the tactician and thanks to his surprise leadership, we began to fend them out of town. It took a month before we pushed them back to the boarder and since then we had fought in that valley until recently we made momentum and finally won. In that time Vector relocated to the old dilapidated castle and spruced it up a bit. He elected Shadow and I as his primary generals and gave Tikal a high position after we introduced them. What a mistake that was…_

 _People were annoyed that sixteen-year old's were commanding them but Vector's methods showed results so they took it in stride until it just became the norm. Especially when Shadow had the bright idea to position both Knuckles' and Blaze's parents at the front line. The town rejoiced when they killed fighting for a community and deity that their children turned their backs on._

 _I began to love Shadow after we bonded over out hatred of Sonic and Tails. Especially after they fled and the war began, we seemed to find solace in one another. We grew close, held together by mutual hatred. Vector put me on boat search duty, despite Shadow's reservations, and decided Shadow would lead the front lines. He always greeted me with a hug when I returned. One night when I returned, he was overtaken with lust. That night, Shadow took my virginity. I always dreamed Sonic would do that. How times have changed… But eventually it turned sour. Shadow's unsatiated desire for revenge began to overwhelm him. He became a husk of what he once was. That's when he began abusing me, but I let him do it because I loved him. However, news eventually came that Sonic and Tails were alive, and that they were on the island._

 _After that, I had lost Shadow. I kept bugging Vector, wanting to do something but he told me to bide my time and wait. Finally, he called upon me and gave me orders to go to Vapos. My mission was to find Wave and kill Razor. Well, I found her, and I disposed of her. However, the universe smiled upon me that day. Finally, after all this time, I found Sonic again…_

"A-Amy?" Sonic mumbled in bewilderment.

"Didn't think you'd ever see me again, did you," she cackled maniacally, showing rows of white teeth. Her eyes glinting maliciously as she locked gazes with Sonic. She finally found him. Sonic took a few hesitant steps forward.

"You know her?" Razor asked curiously. Amy used the hesitation and surprise of the Vaposians to her advantage. She clenched her teeth and whipped her head backwards. The back of her head collided painfully with the nose of the guard who was holding her. Abyss shrieked in pain, clutching her broken nose. Amy wrenched her arms free of Abyss' weak grasp and reached into her boot, pulling out a dagger. She let out a guttural grown, eyes narrowing as she lunged at him.

Sonic dodged her attack with ease, sidestepping as fast as the wind. Amy plunged the knife at the ground, the metal clinking off harmlessly. She moaned in anger and annoyance as she turned and lunged again at him without break. However, again Sonic dodged her attack. Amy tried again and again fruitlessly, her maddening growls steadily growing more unnerving.

Eventually, as she grew tired, Razor and Abyss snapped into action and descended upon her, easily overpowering the angered hedgehog and bounding her wrists with rope.

"Dirty trick," Abyss scowled, wiping away leaking blood with the back of her palm.

"Aw, did I hurt the little baby?" Amy mocked. Abyss raised the back of her hand and brought it down over Amy's cheek, leaving an ugly red mark. "That all you got?" Amy spat out some blood. "I used to get that every day from Shadow."

"Shadow?" Sonic asked. "He's still around?"

"Of course. He's gone insane waiting to see you again."

"I always knew he was nothing without me," Sonic smirked.

"Now's not the time fer humor," Razor scolded him, towering over Amy. Abyss brought her down to her knees with her boot. "Now, I have some questions fer ya and yer gonna answer them, got it?"

"Like I'd answer anything you'd ask," Amy retaliated bravely.

"What is Vector's plan?" Razor growled menacingly. Amy stayed tight-lipped, refusing to talk. "Where are his troops right now?" Again, nothing. "What is his end game?"

"I'm not saying anything. You'll have to kill me first."

"Well, if ya say so," Razor shrugged, aware that he wouldn't be getting any further information out of the unhelpful hedgehog. He picked up the same gun Amy had just used to shoot Wave, relishing in the irony as he held it against her head. "Any last words?"

"Sonic," Amy turned her head to the unsure hedgehog. Sonic bit his bottom lip.

"You're not going to tell me you still love me, are you?"

"I'll see you in hell," Amy smiled as she closed her eyes and leant against the barrel of the gun. She tensed her body, waiting for the instant pain, but none came.

"Hey, give that back," she heard Razor growl. Amy peered out one eye fearfully, smiling in relief as she saw Sonic hold the gun, switching the safety back on.

"This isn't the right way," Sonic lectured. "Death shouldn't be answered with more death."

"She killed Wave right in front of us," Razor snapped.

"You were going to kill Wave whether she interfered or not," Sonic fired back.

"With a bullet that was meant for you!"

"Actually, it was meant for you," Amy chimed in helpfully.

"Shut up," Sonic and Razor bellowed simultaneously.

"This is not the way," Sonic shook his head. He turned and tossed the gun as far as he could, watching it clatter to the ground and skid into the stone walls. The crowd around him booed, but Sonic drowned it out, focusing on Razor. "Nobody else has to die in this war. Vector is the only one who needs to be killed."

"But-"

"If Vector dies, Mobius won't have a leader. The other communities can defeat them peacefully and they will surrender, trust me."

"That's wishful thinking, kid, but trust me, this will only end with more bloodshed.

"If I may," Amy piped up.

"What?" Sonic growled. "I'm trying to save your life, don't help."

"While I appreciate the sentiment, I just have one thing to say."

"What could you possibly have to say?"

"Let the girl speak. If it's helpful, I'll consider sparing her life," Razor affirmed.

"Well… it's just that… You shouldn't have left the drone's hatch open," Amy smiled as she drove her foot into Abyss' shin. With her hands still bound tightly behind her back, Amy sprinted over the ship Sonic had arrived in. Amy unceremoniously hoped up onto the wing and dove into the cock-pit. She slammed her face against the button to close the glass as Sonic sprinted over. The ship's hatch just closed into place as Sonic hoped onto the wing.

"Amy, get out of there," Sonic slammed his fist against the glass helplessly.

"Do you still love me?" Amy asked.

"Open this hatch right now!"

"You shouldn't have spared me," Amy grinned devilishly. "I'll be seeing you very soon, Sonic."

"Amy! Amy let me in now."

"Engage auto-pilot," Amy barked clearly as the engines revved. Sonic quickly jumped off the wing, rolling along the ground as the ship soared vertically into the air and shot off over the colosseum.

"Look what you've done, boy," Razor growled as he seized Sonic by the shoulders. "She'll alert Vector!"

"Good. Let dad know I'm coming. I want him to know he's on borrowed time!" Sonic growled lowly. He narrowed his eyes and furrowed his brow as fire blared to life in his angry emerald eyes.

…

Bodies littered the floor, scattered along the small gravel path that wound its way through the scenic mangroves. Silence descended upon the area like a thick fog. Not even the birds that nested amongst the virescent canopy above dared to sing. Blaze couldn't bear the sight as she stepped over yet another body of one of the loyal Zuncons that gave their lives to protect hers and her friends.

Blaze had been sent to double back to see if there were any survivors. There had only been twelve of them all up, including herself, Knuckles, Tails, Tikal, Cosmo, Lumina and Galaxia. Blaze had tried to rouse Cosmo. She needed to retreat to the kingdom and leave her sanctuary, but her words fell on deaf ears.

"I saw a communicator in their shack," Knuckles had explained. "Go signal to the rest of her people and tell them to stay alert and await further instructions."

"How?" Blaze had asked. Knuckles had simply shrugged, but something needed to be done until somebody could break through to the new queen. Blaze had managed to send a message, but whether or not it was received was another question entirely. Chills ran down her spine and the hair on the back of her neck prickled. Her gut churned as she stood alone in that shack, scared that Cream was still lurking around in the shadows waiting to finish what she started.

Meanwhile, Cosmo sat hunched over the lifeless body of her sister, fresh blood soaking into the small blades of grass she lay on. Cosmo hid her face behind her hands, tears seeping through the cracks in her fingers to fall daintily on Galaxia's body. Knuckles tried to shake her to attention, urging her that they needed to get to safety in case Cream came back but all efforts proved fruitless.

"That's not going to solve anything," Tikal scolded him.

"I don't see you trying anything," Knuckles growled in frustration, his head on a constant swivel. Tikal inhaled deeply and let the air out through her nose as she knelt beside Cosmo, placing a comforting hand on her back.

"Hey," Tikal forced in barely a whisper. "Galaxia was a strong woman, and would have made a powerful leader. She was something else," Tikal smiled in Galaxia's memory. She looked expectantly at Cosmo, waiting for her to add praise for her deceased sister but she didn't even stir.

"Well, I've got nothing," Tikal shrugged as she joined Knuckles and Tails who still stared at the mouth of the winding path, gaping at the spot Cream stood not minutes prior.

"Let me try," Tails finally spoke, startling both of them. He had been a statue not moments ago, lost to the world but the situation called to him. Tails sat down opposite Cosmo and placed his soft hands over hers. He carefully brought them down from her face, peering into Cosmo's tears stained, red eyes. Tails offered her a weak smile as he guided her hands over to Galaxia's face. He puppeted her fingers, placing them on Galaxia's eyelids and flexed her fingers, closing her eyelids.

"She's at peace now," Tails sighed softly.

"She died because of me," Cosmo croaked finally.

"That's not true."

"Yes it is," Cosmo sniffed, her voice as quiet as a mouse. "If I was as strong as her… if I wasn't such a spineless coward…"

"Cosmo, stop," Tails squeezed her hand, his gaze meeting hers as they locked eyes. "I know this must be hard for you. I know what it's like to lose somebody close to you."

"Sonic is still alive," Cosmo interrupted.

"No… not Sonic… my mother," confusion swirled in Cosmo's glazed eyes. "She was killed trying to help me and Sonic. I didn't even get to see her die. The last time I saw her was right before my sixteenth birthday party when she went off to camp to give me some space. Blaze and Knuckles only told me later that she died. I never even got to say goodbye," tears welled up in Tails' eyes as the memory haunted him.

"I… I didn't know…"

"Galaxia was a strong leader, and it's a travesty what happened but at least you got to say goodbye. Just don't let her die in vain. My mother died so that Sonic and I could live happily. Galaxia died to protect you because she thought you would be a great leader. Keep the final promise you made to her. Protect your people, lead them and stop Vector."

"You… you're right," Cosmo wiped her eyes clean with her sleeve as she finally stood, turning Knuckles and Tikal. Blaze finally jogged back to the group.

"I sent out a message but I'm not sure if anybody heard it," Blaze admitted as she panted.

"Thank you," Cosmo addressed them all. "Tails is right, I can't stand around and mope while my people need me. I can't let Galaxia's sacrifice be in vain."

"So, what's the plan, your majesty," Knuckles bowed.

"Are we going to lead an army down to seize Mobius?" Tikal offered.

"No, don't be silly," Cosmo shook her head. "We've lost all our greatest warriors. Most were killed in the battle against Vapos and now we've acquired more casualties. I need to round up my people and make sure they are all protected in this troubling time. I can't afford to send any more people."

"But-" Knuckles protested but was cut off as she continued.

"But, I know I can't change your minds. I know you won't stop until Vector is killed."

"Exactly! But we're just four teenagers. We need help," Knuckles urged.

"I may not be able to supply troops, but I can show you the safest way to get back to Mobius and… I can give you access to any weapons you need."

…

"How could you let this happen?" Vector barked at the translucent blue hologram of the short hedgehog. "I thought you said you had him trapped."

"I did but he was smarter than I had anticipated," Shard admitted in a gravelly tone, not one to admit his mistakes.

"Of course he is. He might be an embarrassment, but he still does have my genes," Vector let a small smile tug at the corner of his lips.

"Sure," Shard rolled his eyes. "But don't worry, everything is almost complete on my end. I hope you've finished your end of the deal."

"Unlike you, I can actually accomplish things. The gas will be ready by the time you arrive. Goodbye," Vector concluded as the hologram dissipated back into the small disk that Shard had provided him. Not a moment passed before the wide door of the throne room opened and Shadow scurried inside.

"I don't mean to pry," Shadow began respectfully. "But did Shard say that Sonic escaped?" Shadow clenched his fists as he subconsciously grinded his teeth together.

"It's rude to eavesdrop," Vector scolded. "But, yes, it appears Sonic alluded Shard."

"How could you let this happen? You promised I would be able to see him again. You promised-" Shadow barked angrily.

"Enough," Vector bellowed, silencing Shadow with his forceful tone. "You will get your revenge, I promise. And then I will cleanse his soul of Iblis just as Chaos requires."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I know my son. He might be spineless, un-chaosly and a fool, but he's also as stubborn as they come. He'll make sure he sees me again. He won't stop until I'm in a coffin, or he'll die trying."

"So what you're saying is…" Shadow finally understood.

"Yes. If we wait, he'll come to us… and we'll be waiting. Like a fly to the web."

…

Cosmo helped direct them through the labyrinth of hidden, overgrown paths that winded like serpents through the mangroves, which in turn transformed into a mosaic forest before them.

"If you follow this straight it will open out near the main valley where Zuncon connects to both Aves and Mobius. From there, I assume you know the way," Cosmo instructed as she waved on the four teenagers.

"Yes, I know that path well," Tails nodded.

"Thank you for everything you have done for us," Blaze bowed.

"We promise we'll get vengeance for Galaxia and Earthia," Knuckles Vowed. With that, Cosmo disappeared back into the forest, leaving Tails, Blaze, Knuckles and Tikal alone to forge forward toward Mobius and the alligator that awaited them.

They marched in silence, the weight and gravity of the situation sinking them into their own worries as the forest around them began to thin out. Blots of blue sky shone through the diminishing canopy as large, rocky mountains rose in the distance. Finally, Tails decided it was time to get some answers.

"Why didn't you tell us about Cream," Tails said.

"What?" Tikal asked, surprised by the sudden randomness of the question after hours of silence.

"Cream. Why didn't you tell me what happened to her? You could have said something and saved everybody."

"Tails," Knuckles scolded defensively. "Tikal couldn't have known Cream was going to attack us."

"Even so," Blaze chime in, siding with the kit. "If she had told us about how Cream had become so skillful we could have put measures in place just in case."

"Why would she bring it up? She didn't know she'd attack, or do you expect her to tell you exactly what happened to every single person in Mobius that we left behind?"

"No, Knuckles, they're right," Tikal placed a hand on his forearm. Blaze stared daggers at him, her heart splintering but her stubbornness forcing her to stand her ground. "I should have told you about Cream."

"So, tell us, then," Tails said. "How did she become this… this assassin?"

"I guess it all started the day after you guys left in the boat," Tikal began, thinking back to the calm, crystal morning after the storm that tore the nation apart over three months ago. "Everybody was scared because Aves began to attack. Vector managed to corral everybody and he lead a resistance. Amy and Shadow seemed to be by his side. I'm not sure why he chose them, but he did. Since we were only seventeen, Vector didn't let us fight despite some of us wanting to. I decided to go over and check on Cream that day. She was still my friend, and her boyfriend had broken up with her, and broke her heart. She was devastated. She had been crying all night after you left. I had never seen her so disappointed."

"I went back to her house the next day and she had taken a turn for the worst. She wasn't crying anymore, which I thought was a good sign, but instead it was like she lost her soul. Her eyes were empty, her movements lifeless. I planned to visit her the next day, but Amy invited me to a meeting with Vector. I didn't get over to her house until late that night, but she was nowhere to be seen. She had seemingly vanished."

"What happened to her?" Tails asked.

"Well, I didn't give up on her," Tikal continued. "I kept going over day after day for the next week, but she was never at home. That's when I gave up hope. I assumed she had left. How naïve I was. About two months later, after we had pushed the Avian troops back to the valley to the north, I was out when I noticed the lights in her house were on. I knocked on the door and she actually answered. It was Cream, after two and a half months, she suddenly was back like nothing had happened. I asked her where she went and all she said was that she went off to find herself and find meaning in her life. I wasn't sure where she went, or who she went with, but the important thing was that she was back home and alright."

"I thought she might like a job, something to do, so I convinced Vector to see her. By this point nobody argued that his generals all seemed to be sixteen and seventeen year-old teenagers and I thought there could be a job somewhere for Cream. She was Tails' girlfriend, so I thought Vector might like that. He could use it."

"So, what, Vector gave her a job."

"Yes, but not because I asked him to," Tikal said. "We were in the throne room, Vector, Shadow, Amy and I when Cream arrived. She used to be nervous whenever talking to new people but she seemed as soulless and unnerved as even the bravest soul. However, as Vector began to ask her questions, an Avian assassin broke into the throne room. Shadow, Amy and I weren't quick enough and in three seconds the assailant was upon Vector. That's when Cream struck. I blinked, and she had vanished. She clawed him off Vector and delivered fast, precise, strategic jabs from a concealed dagger all over the assailant. I didn't know she even had one on her. She moved blindingly fast. It took no more than a moment before he was lying dead on the floor. She told Vector she had gone away to train. I don't know how she transformed so much in two short months, or who trained her, but the girl definitely had skills. And Vector knew it. From that point on, she became her secret weapon. I guess her first task was to kill you, Tails."

Tails looked from Knuckles to Blaze, both frozen. Neither one could believe sweet, innocent Cream could have become something so calculating and cold. Tails shuddered at the thought.

"And that's all I know. I swear."

"So… if we want to get to Vector, we'll have to somehow get through Cream?" Blaze asked, swallowing a lump in her throat.

"It would appear so."

"And," Knuckles wet his dry mouth with his tongue. "She took out not only all of Galaxia and Cosmo's guards, but dealt with a trained Avian assassin with seemingly no effort?"

"That's also true."

"So, basically, what you're saying is we're dead before we even start," Blaze sighed.

"I… yes," Tikal admitted. Knuckles, Blaze and Tikal all dropped their gaze, the reality and impossibility of their situation finally donning on them.

"Guys," Tails spoke up hopefully. "I know this seems hard, but we can't give up. Vector can't keep ruining lives. We have to do this for our friends, our family. We have to do this for Galaxia and Cosmo, for your parents, for Silver and… and for Sonic."

"Tails is right," Knuckles bellowed determinately. "We can't let Vector get away with this, just like they didn't let Large get away with it one hundred years ago.

"This became more than just standing up for Sonic and Tails," Blaze added bravely. "This became stopping a war. This became freeing our country from Vector's tyranny."

"Who knew you were so good at speeches," Tikal smiled. "You've changed a lot from that shy little kid I sat with at lunch."

"Who's with me?" Tails asked.

"I am," Knuckles said, holding his hand out in front of him.

"I am," Blaze repeated, placing her hand on his.

"Me too," Tikal nodded, adding her hand to the pile.

"Then that settles it," Tails let his hand fall on top of the pile. "We started this mess, so we are going to finish it!"

* * *

 _A/N: After the long wait we are finally back. Sorry this took so long but I was rewriting Sonic High to make it even better. Either way, I hope the wait was worth it. This is one of the longest chapters (Excluding the musical) and I thought it time to detail Amy's backstory as well as get a little more insight into how Cream became such a badass. Wave and Galaxia are both well and truly dead. Cosmo is still in mourning but has parted with our heros to protect her nation. Sonic let Amy escape to inevitably warn Razor, and Shard is about to send his drones over to Vector so they can finally end the war. Only 7 chapters left, things are about to start reaching their climax. I hope you enjoyed and please don't forget to leave a review._

 ** _Announcement! November 26th, 2015 was the day I created this account and the day the first chapter of Sontails: Dreams Come True and any story I've written was written and published. In 18 days, it'll be the 2 year anniversary of this story and me on ff as a whole. As such, I thought I'd do something special. I'll publish chapter 18 on that day, but I want to do more than that so listen up. I plan to do a little Q &A in the authors notes of the next chapter as a celebration. I'll answer any question I get asked (Unless it's too spoilery). It can be anything about the story, my writing process, future plans, things about my life or me personally, anything you want to know. Just ask a question in a review, or send me a PM, and I'll answer them all on the 26th with a new chapter. So, get to asking any and all questions and, as always, I hope you have a great day._**

Next time on Sontails: War of Faith - Chapter 18: The Calm Before the Storm


	18. Chapter 18: The Calm Before the Storm

Chapter 18

The Calm Before the Storm

Sonic stood on the glass platform in the large, spherical throne room. A small wooden bridge provided the only entrance and exit over the watery moat. Razor fumed, pacing back and forth in front of his lapis throne.

After the incident with Amy, Razor had insisted all Vaposians to return to their homes despite their fuming bloodlust being unsatiated. Razor wanted to leave Wave's body, but Sonic had insisted they bury her and honour her memory.

"Avians don't believe in burial, much like Vaposians don't," Razor had explained as two of his guards helped carry Wave into the boiler room of his domed castle. "Mobians believe in burial, and so do Zuncons so that the body can become one with the earth. Macton's recycle the parts of dead bodies to build more machines-"

"That's horrible," Sonic had interrupted.

"It is just there way. Just like how the people of Aves believe burial is horrible. They like to be cremated, and their ashes spread into the wind so they can be one with the air even after death."

"What about your people?"

"We like to encase the feet of our dead in cement, travel out into the middle of the ocean and drop our bodies into the watery depths so that we can return to the sea from whence we came," Razor had detailed. He retreated to his throne room while Sonic waited for Wave's body to be cremated. He thought her people would have wanted it that way, along with Jet and Storm who probably didn't get the same treatment. Once they were ready, Sonic had climbed to the top of a tall building and tosses her ashes into the prevailing winds.

"Are ya finished with the trivial burial?" Razor grumbled when he noticed Sonic's appearance.

"It's not trivial," Sonic disputed almost stubbornly. "She mightn't have been a friend, but she wasn't an enemy. She deserves respect in death."

"Ya always find new ways to impress me, boy," Razor let a small smile break through his tough exterior before collapsing back onto his zaffre throne. "But enough formalities, we need to plan an attack. Vector has blatantly shown he want's war with not only Aves, but the rest of us and Vapos won't stand by and be defeated.

"What do you suggest?" Sonic asked.

"Do ya still wish to get yer vengeance against yer dad?" Sonic nodded. "And ya won't stay behind here no matter what I say?" He shook his head. "I like yer volition. In that case, ya shall accompany me into enemy territory. Ya might prove a great help since you know the terrain."

"Is it a stealth mission, then?"

"No, it will be a full-frontal assault. I'll prepare all my troops to move immediately. We'll take Vector by surprise and we will achieve a swift victory while all his troops are busy dealing with the anarchy and chaos in Aves' capital," Razor grinned victoriously.

"Um… there's one little problem with that plan," Sonic croaked.

"What?" Razor raised an eyebrow.

"You remember the drone?"

"The one that ya let that pink hedgehog escape in," Razor added with judgement.

"I left it on autopilot, I'm sorry," Sonic huffed like a spoilt brat. "But, yes, that one. You know it was Shard's drone, right?"

"I remember ya story, yes."

"Well, that was one of hundreds that I stole from his warehouse. He's building an army, Razor, and his bomb wiped out most of yours, and Earthia's, finest warriors so you can't spare more. If you attack from the south, Vector will inform Shard and he'll take you from the north."

"So what ya saying is… I'm basically trapped?"

"Well… not exactly," Abyss the squid finally piped up. She had been standing guard at the door, but had heard the entire conversation.

"You have a plan, Abyss? Then speak!" Razor bellowed.

"Keep all your troops here. Get them in defensive formation split between the possible threat from a northern Macton attack, and the eventual attempt from the Mobian troops in Aves from the east."

"So, yer saying just wait and defend? That isn't good enough, Abyss. Vector is a dictator, and he will continue to infest this land unless we finish him off once and for good," Razor growled.

"I'm not saying don't attack him. Just don't use a hoard of ground troops."

"I think I understand," Sonic smirked.

"I'm sick of all these secrets, out with it!"

"What I'm saying, sir, is that you and Sonic sneak into enemy forces. Because there is just two of you, you won't be detected and thanks to Sonic's knowledge of Mobius he can sneak you to Vector. Once you're up close and personal, _shhkk,_ " Abyss sliced her finger across her neck.

"Without Vector's maniacal leadership, perhaps we can quell Mobius once he's dead and make peace between the five nations after all this time," Sonic added.

"That might be a bit too optimistic, kid," Razor thought, scratching his chin. "But, it's as good a plan as we have. Alright, come nightfall Sonic and I shall sneak out. Keep the armies busy and loud, Abyss, so the enemy think's I'm still in Vapos. All we have is the element of surprise. If we lose that, the battle and quite possibly the war is certainly lost," Razor finished gravely.

"Understood," Abyss saluted as she turned and marched out of the throne room.

"Are ya sure about this, Sonic? Yer still young and you've got yer whole life ahead of ya to live," Razor asked sympathetically.

"Big and Vector took my life from me," Sonic scowled. "Besides, if we can't defeat Mobius, there isn't going to be a world for me to live in."

"Then it's settled. I'll gather some supplies. Meet back here at sundown and we'll set out into Mobius!"

…

The walk had been long but uneventful. After bidding farewell to Cosmo and learning the truth about Cream, Tails, Blaze, Knuckles and Tikal hiked silently down the winding path. The luscious mosaic of verdant canopy above them slowly thinned more and more until they were walking through open fields of green grass and low shrubbery. The open horizon was blocked out by the large, rocky mountains that loomed like a behemoth in the distance casting shadow's over the earth as they walked.

Finally, as the sun began to set, they arrived at the invisible boarder between the two communities, outline b the space where the rock meets the grass in a chaotic mash-up.

"The Avian boarder," Tails whispered to himself. He looked ahead, a small trail carved between the two sheer curtains of rock the snaked into the mountains. "Once we cross into here, it's a short walk around this mountain face until we arrive beside the main valley and the forests of Mobius."

"Well, what are we waiting for," Knuckles surged ahead. "We're burning valuable daylight. I'd say we have thirty minutes, maximum, before the sun's fully gone and I don't really want to be scaling the sides of cliffs in the darkness."

"Are you sure we shouldn't just camp here for the night?" Tikal asked worriedly.

"We need to get to Mobius as fast as possible," Blaze responded bitterly with a huff.

"And we need to be quick," Knuckles called back as he began to climb up the steps jutting out of the side of the mountain carved in stone. "We haven't got long to traverse this trail and I don't want to have to give our position away by lighting a torch."

"But won't Avian sentries spot us and kill us?" Tikal asked as Tails hurried behind Knuckles.

"Trust me, Avians are the least of our troubles right now," Blaze pushed past Tikal, her shoulder bumping Tikal's as Blaze began to climb the steps. Tikal grumbled something under her breath before begrudgingly following her companions along the path.

They walked silently in single file along the path. It wound around the side of the tall, sheer mountains. The small, chaotic mess of cracked rock that stuck out from the carved rock was barely big enough for one person to walk comfortably. The path jut out over a long drop to the valley floor below. A small, dried up creek bed ran through the center with hard stone blanketing the rest of the ground. A fall from this height would be fatal.

"Be careful," Knuckles called from ahead as he reached the crest of the snaking parabolic path. "It's all downhill from here." Tails followed resolutely, his foot crunching on the loose stone. A small crack edged through the rock but it managed to hold Tails' weight as he continued along the downward path. However, Blaze was not as lucky.

As she placed her weight on her outside foot the brittle slate stone gave way and crumbled under her weight, careening down into the valley below. Blaze let out a shocked shriek as she felt the unwavering pull of gravity tug her downwards off the side of the cliff.

"Blaze!" Knuckles and Tails screamed in panic, too far away to be able to do anything except watch in horror as she fell off the path. Luckily, at the last possible moment a hand was thrust outwards and gripped her wrist. Tikal let out a pained grunt as Blaze's weight jerked her to her knees and Blaze swung into the rough wall of the mountain.

"T-Tikal?" Blaze stammered as she looked up. Tikal grunted, sweat coating her face as she struggled to pull Blaze back up onto the narrow path.

"Just hold on," Tikal panted. Knuckles dodged past Tails and fell onto his stomach, reaching out to grab the fingers on Blaze's other hand and, together, the two echidnas wrenched Blaze back up onto the path. They all leant against the rocky wall wheezing feverishly.

"Are you alright, Blaze?" Tails asked as he inspected the rock beneath them to make sure they were safe.

"I'll live," Blaze exhaled slowly. "Thanks to you," she turned to Tikal. "But… why did you save me? I thought you hated me."

"Despite how we feel about each other, or our rivalry for Knuckles affections, we are still allies. Until this war is over, I'm going to look out for you. Afterwards we can settle this dispute."

"Th-Thanks, Tikal. I guess I was wrong about you. I'm sorry."

"As touching as this is," Tails piped up. "The sun's almost completely gone. If we don't want to hike down this trail in the pitch black, we should go now." Tikal and Blaze exchanged a stare, nodded and rose to their feet.

Tails took the lead at an excruciatingly slow pace, double testing each step to make sure the rock wouldn't break apart as before as the sun completely sank below the horizon. As darkness enveloped them, their pace slowed to a crawl as they cautiously descended the path. It took them almost an hour longer than they would have liked, lighting a torch was out of the question, before Tails felt solid ground beneath his feet.

"Where are we?" Tikal asked in a hushed whisper as she hopped down the final step of the cliffside path that the Avians had carved.

"This is the valley path that I was chased out of town through," Tails explained as he looked around. "It eventually leads to a forest, and the boarder between Aves and Mobius and-"

"Tails, stop," Blaze cupped a hand over his mouth. He tried to mumble resistance, but she shot him a look that made him shut his mouth. "Do you hear that?"

"This way!" Knuckles urged softly, waving them over with his arm as he dove behind a large rock. Tails, Blaze and Tikal hurriedly followed as they were concealed from view. A few moments later a red glow illuminated the valley and loud voices boomed through the silence.

"I can't believe he's making us go back to Aves," they heard a voice grumble.

"Don't complain, unless you wish for Vector to make an example out of you," another, equally familiar wise voice responded. Tails squinted through the darkness as two shadows danced like giants on the rock wall, transformed by the flickering fires of the torches as two males came into view.

"Might-mph," Tails gasped before Knuckles and Blaze both pounced on him, silencing his surprised outburst.

"Did you hear something?" Espio paused, training his sensitive ears.

"It was probably just an animal. Hurry up, we should have been at the capital before sundown," Mighty argued.

"So now you want to go there?"

"I want to stay in Mobius, but like you said, what Vector says, goes."

"It's those that walk behind others' orders that end up moving nowhere," Espio lectured.

"I don't need any of your philosophical crap right now," Mighty fumed like a spoilt child. "And in case you didn't notice, I was made general and as such I'm your commanding officer."

"For now," Espio nodded. "But once this war is over and things return to normal I will be your philosophy teacher again and the balance to order will be restored and I will be in charge."

"Unlikely," Mighty snorted. "When we win, Vector will become king and he'll need somebody to lead help keep up his defenses and army."

"And you think that person will be you?" Espio smirked. "You're just a child. Desperate times called for desperate measures but once we win, all the children will return to being just that. Children. You may take over one day, but for now you still need to finish school." Their voices slowly petered out as they continued to argue until only silence remained, and darkness enveloped them all again.

"That was close," Blaze sighed.

"Sorry about that," Tails apologized, grinning with relief.

"I think travelling at night is dangerous," Knuckles decided. "Besides, we need out rest."

"But we can't camp here. This trail is too busy. We'll be seen for sure," Tikal urged.

"I say we head into the forest. We can retrace our steps and follow the path tomorrow," Tails decided.

"That's as good a plan as any. Besides, I'm about to drop, especially after that mountain path," Blaze agreed with sagged shoulders. The small group bashed through the shrubbery, making small marks on the trunks of the trees so they could find their way back to the path before they found a small area between three trees.

They decided to set up camp there, taking out the two tarps that they had stuffed into their pack and their rope. They placed one along the ground and then tied the rope between two trees and threw the second tarp over the top of the tort wire to create a roof.

"Do we have any blankets?" Tails asked as Knuckles dug around in the pack and took out a small packet of biscuits and some bread. He shook his head sadly as Tails began to break up their supplies into quarters.

"We really should have planned this better," Tikal sighed as she eagerly devoured her portion of food.

"We were being attacked. It's not like packing was on our minds when we were running for our lives."

"We'll just huddle for warmth. It'll be fine," Knuckles decided as he finished off the last of his food. With rumbling stomachs and shivering frames from the cold night air, Blaze, Knuckles, Tails and Tikal lowered the rope and tarp above them to keep some heat in and huddled together, trying to drift off to sleep knowing that they need to prepare for the worst in the upcoming days.

…

The crumbling remains of the old medieval castle that Vector had repurposed into his base of operations stood high in the twilight air overlooking the cliffside in southern Mobius. The waves crashed against the base below breaking off chunks of rock. The prevailing salty winds whipped Shadows' face as he stared out on the horizon.

He used to stand in this very spot often in the three months when Sonic and Tails were alone on the island, hoping for a glimpse of them. Some would say it drove him insane, but Shadow knew it kept him determined and opened up his mind to clarity he had never experienced before. He finally had a purpose in life. To free his old friends from Iblis' strangle hold and show them Chaos' light. It was his way into heaven. He couldn't care about Vector, his position in Vector's army or the outcome of the war. No, he cared about one thing. Sonic.

Suddenly a low buzzing noise filled the silence and the air tore up around him like a small tornado. Shadow looked up as a silver flying machine zoomed over the town behind him, its course set for the open grass on the clifftop. As the drone landed, its hatch flew open and Amy hoped out, stumbling from dizziness of the trip. It was the first time she had ever traveled by air and her stomach wasn't agreeing with her.

"Amy?" Shadow asked, watching as the contents of her lunch spewed out of her mouth staining the blades of grass.

"H-Hey," Amy wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, standing back up and steadying herself.

"What are you doing here? And what is that?" Shadow asked.

"It's one of Shard's ships," Amy answered distantly. "And it would be nice if you asked me how I was feeling."

"Would if I cared."

"You're impossible," Amy huffed angrily. "Where's Vector. I have news."

"Right behind you," A gruff voice boomed. Both hedgehogs turned around, their eyes training through the dark as the crocodile stepped out of the front door of the half-ruined castle and slid over to them.

"Sir," Amy saluted. Shadow rolled his eyes with a sarcastic sigh.

"Miss Rose, why are you back. Was your mission a success?"

"Yes sir," Amy nodded. "But I have news. I ended up in the Vaposian capital where I ran into Sonic and-"

"You saw Sonic," Shadow interrupted, a glint in his eye. "What was he doing in Vapos? Was Tails with him? Did he look miserable? Is he dead?"

"Calm down Shadow. Some might interpret that as you liking him. Do we have to cleanse your soul too?" Amy sneered.

"Enough, both of you," Vector snapped. "Chaos, it's like I'm working with children."

"Teenagers," they both replied under their breaths.

"Amy, report. What did you need so see me for so urgently?"

"It's about Razor… and your son," Amy replied quickly. "They are going to come attack Mobius with their forces. We need to defend Mobius."

"Amy, relax, they won't get far," Vector smirked. "I've sent Mighty back to Aves with instructions to march on Vapos. If all their troops are marching here, it will make his job that much easier."

"But, sir, if I may," Shadow piped up. "If all our troops take Vapos, Razor will have no troubles taking Mobius. We might win the battle, but it will lead to our loss in the war." Vector simply smiled, turning to walk away.

"Follow me," he beckoned them. They followed obediently. "I think it's time I finally showed you something." He lead them through the interior of the castle, past the large circular room which acted as the foyer connecting the large, front gate with the rest of the castle. They followed close behind him as they descended the cobblestone steps and walked through into the modernized marble laboratory.

"Sir, you've already shown us this before."

"Yes, Shadow, but not this," Vector smiled as he opened a small door in the back of the laboratory. The luminous lights flickered to life as Shadow and Amy's eyes widened at the sight.

"Is this…" Vector nodded.

"The one-hundred-year war, we call it," Vector began. "Not because it lasted one hundred years, but because it occurred one hundred years ago. In two days time, it will be exactly one century to the date since Large signed the peace treaty and split the land in five. That will be the same time I end this war. It will also be exactly one hundred days since Wave marched across the boarder and declared war on us all. As a century comes to a close, so will this war and I, and all of Mobius, will go down in the history books as the winners of the hundred-day war!" Vector bellowed victoriously.

There, in the room, piled to the roof were hundreds of metal canisters with air pressure locks. Green gas was filled inside, waiting to be sprayed into the air. Big's serum. Serum that will cause all those who breathe it in to go insane and perish within minutes as their organs fail, a nasty side effect Shard, Vector and their scientists infused with Big's original plans.

"Once Shard arrives with his drones, we'll plunge the other communities into a blanket of this gas and kill them all, splitting the land fifty-fifty," Vector grinned maliciously, his eyes scanning the hundreds upon hundreds of canisters.

* * *

 _A/N: Sonic and Razor are entering alone into Mobius. Tails, Knuckles, Blaze and Tikal are already in Mobius, setting up camp after a few close calls, leaving Cosmo alone to fend for herself. Vector has finally weaponized Big's gas and is ready to kill all Avians, Vaposians and Zuncons once Shard arrives with all the drones that Sonic discovered in his bunker. Can Sonic, Tails and the others make it to his castle to stop him before it's too late? Well, that comes later because for now..._

 _2 years! It's been 2 years since I first created an account and published the first chapter of Sontails: Dreams Come True. I can't believe it's been so long. Almost five stories later. As a celebration, I said I'd answer any questions you guys had for me about the story or myself submitted by review or a PM and I plan to deliver on that promise so here we go..._

How long does it take me to write each chapter?  
Well, it depends, really. A chapter of this story takes a lot less time than, say, an Emerald Lake chapter because it's like 6000 words less, but it also just depends how much fun I'm having writing, if I'm motivated etc. Also since I plan out my entire stories well before I start writing (although they do change a lot since I add little things in here and there) so when it comes time to write a chapter I just start writing because I already know what needs to happen, where characters need to be by the end and what development needs to happen. On average, for this story, I'd say it takes about 3-5 hours of writing. Also yes I try to edit but I really just skim so i do miss little things. I publish pretty much straight after I'm finished, after writing the A/N.

What inspired you to write the first Sontails story?  
This is a tough question because nothing really 'inspired' me, so to say. I always loved writing and creating stories and for school and in spare time I had written a bunch of genres but I had never written a romance. Then I stumbled upon this sight in late 2015, I can't remember what story it was but it was a South Park fanfic and I remember it being really well written. I always thought that fanfics had to be smutty and badly written because that's the general consensus for those who don't know about what fanfiction really is and when I was shown what it could really be I instantly began planing my first story.

Why Sontails?  
I wanted to write about characters I liked, and I always loved playing Sonic as a kid, mainly for the characters rather than the actual games. There is such a rich treasure trove of characters to pull from Sonic I knew that there would be somebody that fit any character I wanted to write. As a kid, I woke up every morning early before school and ate cereal in front of new episodes of Sonic X as a kid and I always loved the dynamic of Sonic and Tails. Even though I didn't know much about love at the time, I always asumed that they must be in love and were more than just best friends. Even as a kid the way Sonic and Tails acted in shows and games it always just seemed to me that they were gay lovers, like Bert and Ernie were. So I thought, hey, lots of characters, I like the world and lots of people read Sonic so it would be a perfect starting point. And here I am two years later...

Have I always been a Sontails supporter or just go with cannon relationships?  
Well, read above about why I chose Sontails. For other cannon relationships, some I enjoy like Blaze and Silver or Spike and Sonar, Knuckles and Rouge, but others I think only seem to be paired because it's convinient. Tails and Cream for example. I hate that ship because it's so forced. Just because they are both young and innocent. They have no chemistry. I much prefer Tailsmo.

Do I own any videogames/systems?  
Right now, no, I mainly play games on PC, and not that often. I don't really play many video games anymore, I did a lot more when i was a kid. Currently I'm playing AFL evolution, Yooka-Laylee (Since Banjo-Kazooie was my favourite game as a kid) and me and some mates ocasionally play a game of Civilisation V, but we are all very competitive when it comes to Civ since we've all been playing it for years. Seriously, if you haven't played it, buy it since it's amazing. I do have a 3DS and used to play it all the time but the only times I really bring it out to play is when there is a new fire emblem game or a pokemon game (Haven't played the ultra games yet) but I adored Shadows of Valentia. As a kid my first system was Nintendo 64, and I played hours of banjo kazooie, and from there I had a gamecube, PS2, PSP, Wii and every nintendo hand held system from the gameboy colour do the current new 3ds.

How do I make art/thumbnails/edit?  
I'm shit at art. I'll say that straight up. Always was and always will be. When I make thumbnails I just use powerpoint and scour the internet for sprites or pictures and trace around them to cut out the backgrounds for use in powerpoint to make my thumbnails. As for video editing, I used to do it a lot as a kid but now I mainly just do it for school. I use audacity and just a mic for audio, OBS studio for screen capture and VSDC for actual video editing (They are all free which is basically why I use them).

What's my favourite book/Author?  
That's a tough question, since I don't read a lot anymore since I'm using my free time writing. As a kid, though, that question is easy. Emily Rodda was my favourite author and her Deltora Quest series was easily my favourite book series of all time. The original 8 books were great, the three in the second series were stellar and the final four books in the third and final DQ series still managed to retain the same charm but made them a little more mature. Also, since I'm a fan of more scary and horror things too, I loved reading the 12 book saga of darren shan series. It was amazing, except the end when he really dropped the ball. Just read the first 11 books and skip the last one. Whatever you imagine, I bet it would be better than his shitty ending. I also obviously read the classics like Harry Potter and Hunger Games (I read hunger games before it was popular #Hipster) Most recently I discovered Phillip Reeve and his Mortal Engine series of books and I really enjoyed them too.

Favourite T.V show or Movie?  
Another hard question because I don't really just have one. For movie, I loved Zoolander as a kid just for a fun comedy, but if I had to pick a favourite film it would have to be the Lion King. I've seen that at least a hundred times. Phenominal film, and I can even appreciate it as an adult. Also the new blade runner film was outstanding. As for T.V show, Avatar the last airbender will always hold a place in my heart, but I think South Park might be my favourite. Stranger Things is one of my favourites, and I grew up with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Doctor who and I'll always adore those shows. Currently I'm watching Riverdale, Brooklyn 99 and American Horror Story.

What is my sexual orientation?  
I've answered this before but I'll just say what I am. Male, 20, straight and currently single but not looking for a girlfriend currently. I went through most of highschool always having a girlfriend, when I broke up with one it wasn't long before I had another, and so right now I want to just enjoy being single. Also my last relationship ended really ugly and kinda changed the way I perceive relationships for the time being (If you want to know about that debacle you'll just have to read Emerald Lake :P)

And finally... What type of music do I like?  
I love music. Can't play it, although I did play the saxophone from grade 3-7, but I love music. I'm always listening to music, exploring spotify or singing. I sing a lot, actually. If only I was any good. People at work enjoy it, though. Country is really the only genre of music I'd say I don't like, but Carrie Underwood is alright. As for my favourite genre, either rock or punk. Favourite singer would have to be p!nk because she is just amazing and Panic at the Disco is my favourite band, but I also love Queen, Green Day, the Killers, Snow Patrol, Yellowcard, Set it Off and some of the pop princesses like Taylor or Ariana, as you do.

 _Thanks for all the questions and I hope you guys enjoyed and get ready for the final quarter (Last 6 chapters) of this story!_

Next time on Sontails: War of Faith - Chapter 19: Memories


	19. Chapter 19: Memories

Chapter 19

Memories

The babbling brook flowed like the sands of time, winding with serenity though the verdant forest. The snaking slice of harmony amongst the aromatic dew-tipped leaves ploughed through the earth. Leaf litter rested on the waters surface, the river welcoming the stray flora brought by prevailing winds.

Tails held his shoes in his hands as he stepped off the rich soil at the river's edge and dipped his toes into the crystal water, the fresh coldness kissed his sun stroked skin. He ploughed through brief white crescents as the water cascaded over rocks until he waded to the other side. Knuckles, Blaze and Tikal followed close behind.

"I recognize this place," Blaze wondered aloud as she paused in the middle of the brook, her head tilted downstream as she watched it zigzag between the mighty oak trees until it disappeared into the thick brush.

"This is the place the eight of us went camping back in the ninth grade," Tikal mused, turning to Knuckles. "You and me, Blaze and Silver, Tails and Sonic, and Cream and Amy."

"Back in a simpler time," Knuckles nodded. "That means we can't be more than a few hours walk from the edge of town."

"Good. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can finally face Vector," Tails mumbled unwaveringly as he marched forward, pausing for only the slightest moment to slip his shoes back on.

The quartet trooped through the forest in hushed silence in a single file. No words were exchanged and none of them felt like talking. They all retreated into their minds, thoughts running rampant about what the next day would bring. However, as they drew ever closer to the town of Mobius, and their old home, the noisy chirping of the birds above their heads ceased.

"Wait," Knuckles finally broke the silence. "Guys, do you hear that?"

"I don't hear anything," Tails replied. "Now, c'mon, let's keep moving."

"That's exactly my point," Knuckles responded diligently.

"Yeah, he's right," Blaze breathed, her nerves on alert as the hair on the back of her neck stood on edge. "All the birds stopped singing and the insects stopped humming. It's too quiet."

"You don't think it's Cream," Tikal shuddered, side-stepping closer to Knuckles' built frame. The four all drew closer together, backs to each other as their eyes scanned the unassuming forest surroundings. That's when the noticed it. A slight rustling in a bush to their left, a twig snapping to their right. Something was near them, circling them.

"Wh-who's there?" Tails croaked with false bravery. No answer. Tails cleared his throat and spoke loudly, more confidently this time. "We know you're there. Come out now, or else."

"Or else what?" A voice responded. A heart-stoppingly familiar voice.

"It… it can't be," Blaze breathed.

"Is it really?" Knuckles gasped. From behind the thick trunk of an old redwood stepped the owner of the voice, hands folded over his chest and a smirk plastered on his face. The sun reflected elegantly off the cobalt fur that coated his body.

"It is!" Tails grinned, his mind quickly forgetting what happened their last encounter as he took a few eager steps forward, his arms outstretched. Sonic's eyes flickered, his lips twitched as he reached a hand behind his back.

"Tails, watch out!" Knuckles warned. He was too far away from the two of them to do anything. He couldn't stop it. It was like it happened in slow motion. Sonic reached behind him and pulled out a small, black pistol. He quickly cocked it, held it in both hands and pulled the trigger, the barrel aimed at Tails.

"That was just a warning shot," Sonic warned as Tails froze, rooted to the spot. The bullet collided with the dirt beside him, disturbing the forest floor mere inches from Tails' feet. "Take a step closer and the next one is going in your chest."

"S-Sonic… why are you doing this?" Tails blubbered. "It's me. It's Tails."

"I know who you are, you sniveling wimp," Sonic growled.

"Hey, don't call him tha-"

"One step closer and I'll shoot," Sonic interrupted with a shout, raising his pistol again. Knuckles raised his hands and stopped dead in his tracks.

"Just take it easy, Sonic…"

"What happened to you?" Blaze asked.

"Nothing. I've always been like this," Sonic grinned.

"No, you haven't. Sonic, please, whatever happened to you… I can help you. I love you."

"Gross, don't say that to me," Sonic shuddered. "Disgusting."

"Sonic!" Blaze scolded him.

"Look, you guys are my friends. I don't want to have to kill you, just Tails. If you all back off, I'll let you leave in peace," Sonic bargained.

"We'll do no such thing!" Knuckles growled.

"If you want to kill him, you'll have to kill all of us," Blaze agreed.

"Y-Yeah," Tikal nodded less enthusiastically, fear consuming her.

"Guys, really, you don't have to-"

"We aren't going to let him kill you, Tails, and that's final," Knuckles commanded.

"Very well. I admire your decision, however stupid it may be," Sonic commented. "Fine, I'm a gentleman. I'll give you a chance. I'll give you a minute headstart, and then I'm coming after you."

"Sonic, please don't do this."

"Fifty-nine, fifty-eight."

"Sonic!"

"Fifty-seven, tick, tick, times running out. Fifty-four, fifty-three."

"Run," Knuckles yelled with an authoritarian tone, sprinting up to seize Tails' wrist before they ran off into the forest, back the way they came.

"I love it when they run away," Sonic chuckled. Tails, Knuckles, Blaze and Tikal sprinted through the forest, dodging under low hanging branches, jumping over fallen logs and ploughing through the thick underbrush. Adrenaline coursed through their veins as they ran as fast as they ever had, hearts pumping violently. They had been running flat out for almost five minutes before Tikal chanced a glance back, noticing a small speck of blue far away darting between the trees growing steadily larger.

"He's gaining on us," she warned.

"Quick, this way," Knuckles lead them as they turned and crashed through a wall of ivy, splashing through another stream. Unluckily, Knuckles stopped, Blaze crashing into him.

"Why are we stopping? He's almost on us," Blaze asked but trailed off when she saw what was ahead of them. The ground below had changed from dirt to rock as they crossed the creek bed, and large boulders towered around them on either side. In front of them sat a gigantic, cracked rock blocking their path.

"Dead end," Sonic called. They all swiveled around, Knuckles hands shooting out protectively in front of Blaze and Tikal. "I have to admit I'm a little disappointed. I thought you'd last a little longer."

"Sonic… bro, you don't have to do this," Knuckles bargained as they all inched backwards until they were pressed up firmly against the rock.

"That's true, I didn't. But you made the wrong choice."

"It's me you want, just kill me and leave them alone," Tails defied bravely, taking a step forward.

"I gave them a chance, but, if you're that eager for death," Sonic sneered as he raised his arm, closing one eye for better aim. "Say high to Iblis in hell for me!"

"Tails!" Somebody screamed from above them as Sonic was about to pull the trigger. A frame crouched at the top of the boulder dived off, his shadow casted across the ground as he soared through the air, and crashed into Sonic. The gun went off, the bullet shooting harmlessly into the air as the two bodies rolled along the ground, getting tangled up in one another. Without thinking, Tails pounced on the gun and raised it at Sonic and the stranger.

"Alright, that's enough. Get up Sonic and… and…" Tails stuttered, shock and disbelief plaguing him as his hands shook. "Sonic?" There, sitting in front of him on the ground, were two Sonics!

…

Amy climbed up the spiral cobblestone staircase in awe. She knew about Vector's plan to create a gaseous airborne virus out of Big's mind-altering serum, but she had her doubts about whether Vector was going to get it completed in time. Seeing all the canisters ready to release the serum into the air suddenly put everything into perspective for her. They were finally going to win the war and all the fighting would come to an end.

Amy slipped through the secret door, crossed Vector's throne room and stepped into the gigantic, circular room that acted as the foyer to the entire castle. Before she marched across the tiled floor a loud voice called for her attention.

"You said you completed your mission," Shadow barked, easily closing the distance between the two. "Does that mean you found Wave?"

"Yes," Amy nodded. "Found and killed her." Shadow bit his bottom lip, narrowed his eyes and stared daggers at the hedgehog. "Are you mad?"

"How could you kill her?" Shadow growled.

"That was my mission," Amy countered.

"I thought you were supposed to just go and capture her."

"This is war. We don't capture everybody, or have you forgotten our purpose," Amy continued. "Besides, I thought you wanted Wave did after what she did to you. I killed her for you, Shadow, for us," Amy cooed as she placed a hand on Shadow's face. He instantly swatted her arm away, hissing at her.

"I didn't want you to kill her, why would you think that? Because she gave me this?" Shadow placed a finger on the hideous scar that Wave had given him. The wound was caused by a stray bullet and cut across his cheek almost from lip to ear.

"Yes."

"No! I wanted to be the one to kill her. I wanted to see the look in her eye, knowing that even though she disfigured me, I'd won the war, and you ruined it!" Shadow shouted.

"I did it to help you, so you wouldn't be stuck on revenge and you could move on, like you need to move on from Sonic."

"Don't tell me what I should and shouldn't do," Shadow warned, raising his fist in warning. "I'm not afraid to punch a girl."

"Like you could take me. You're weak, pathetic and clearly have some fucked-up feelings for Soni-" Amy was silenced by the back of Shadow's hand as it connected roughly with her cheek. This wasn't the first time he had laid a hand on her, but it stung just as badly.

"Don't test me," Shadow growled.

"Whatever, I don't need this. I'm going home," Amy turned and marched away indignantly, leaving Shadow to stew.

…

Tails' eyes bulged, his mouth hung low as he stared at the two identical sapphire hedgehogs that stood before him. Tails' heart beat fast and the hand clutching the pistol shook nervously as he flitted the barrel from one Sonic to the next.

"There's two of them?" Knuckles asked flabbergasted, finally finding his voice.

"Sonic, buddy, I-"

"Stay right there," Tails barked with surprising force, interrupting one of the two Sonics.

"How can there be two of them?" Tikal questioned.

"I'm Sonic. This guy is Zonic, a henchman of Shard's. He's a Macton that looks exactly like me, but he's usually wearing ugly metallic gear and a visor over his head," Sonic pleaded.

"Don't listen to him," the Sonic on the right interrupted, their voices identical. "I'm the real Sonic, he's the Macton."

"He's tricking you, don't believe him!"

"He's clearly a faker, I'm the real one!" Tails' eyes glanced feverishly between the two, unsure.

"How do we know which one is the real Sonic?" Blaze asked.

"I don't know," Tails admitted.

"Maybe you could ask questions only the real Sonic would know?"

"Good idea, Blaze. Alright, Sonic number one, what's my real name?" Tails asked.

"Miles Prower, but you've always hated that name and so I gave you the nickname Tails."

"Alright, very good. And Sonic number two, how did we first meet?"

"We were at the park playing hide and seek and I tried to hide in the blueberry bushes when I fan into you crying because Shadow was making fun of you."

"I didn't know that," Blaze whispered to Knuckles who grunted in reply.

"Alright, Sonic number one, what did you give me as a Christmas present last year?"

"You told me about that time when we went camping after your dad was murdered and so I framed a picture that mum took of the two of us."

"Alright, and Sonic number two, where were we when we had our first kiss?"

"In the same blueberry bushes we first met after you ran out of my house after school when we were playing video games."

"I don't get it. They both know everything," Tails scratched his head.

"Vector is Sonic's dad. Maybe he told Shard a bunch of information and Shard probably briefed the fake Sonic," Knuckles reasoned.

"But there is no way Vector would have known all of that," Tikal thought aloud.

"It's because of Shard," one of the Sonic's answered. "When I was recovering he made me go into this chamber where he x-rayed me to check if anything was broken but he probably scanned my brain and got my memories or something crazy like that. You should see some of the technological advancements they've made over there."

"It seems like you know a lot about it. Only the fake Sonic would know that!" The other accused.

"Enough. If memories won't work. I know one thing that will be able to tell me which Sonic is which," Tails smiled.

"You gonna kiss them both?" Knuckles joked.

"Not quite," Tails cleared his throat and took a deep breath as he began to sing. "But I know, we could show them and change all their minds. Show the flaws, make new laws for all animal kind."

"And aligned us combined can create a new place. We wouldn't have to hide in disgrace!" The first Sonic joined in, but that didn't deter the second Sonic from singing too.

"Tails I love you, and you love me too, so just say I do."

"Sonic I love you, and you love me too, so I'll say I do," Tails sang back, staring at each Sonic's eyes as they both sung, one from the heart, each word coated with feeling and one from the brain, singing from memory alone.

"We never meant to fall in love. 'Cause we're taken advantage of. We never meant to start it all. Couldn't keep our love in control." Tails joined in with the two Sonic's all three singing the song that only two of them ever sang together.

"But we have got to, we've got to stick together. We're shrouded in the darkest secret forever. If we could do it all again, there is nothing we would do, no nothing that we would ever change."

"Wow, I've never actually heard those two sing before. They're not bad," Blaze mused, her heart swelling up.

"Three of them, technically," Knuckles pointed out.

"Do you have to ruin everything?"

"Yes, yes I do."

"Guys, stop arguing, I think Tails knows which is which," Tikal interrupted.

"That song meant so much to me. Not only did we sing it right before we were first intimate, but it also showed me without a shadow of a doubt how much you truly cared for me," Tails monologued. "I could tell one of you felt the same way, and were singing from the heart. Secondly, I could tell one of you were just singing from recited memory. You clearly don't feel the same," Tails growled as he tilted his gun at the second Sonic, eyes trained in anger.

"Tails, buddy, it's me, I swear," the Sonic pleaded.

"Nice try, fake Sonic, but if there's one thing I know more than anything else, it's Sonic."

"Well, I tried," Zonic shrugged. "It was painful pretending to love you, miserable creature," Zonic scowled as he pounced on Tails, knocking him to the ground and seizing the gun out of his hand. Zonic scooped it up out of the dirt as Sonic rushed over to catch Tails before he fell face first into the dirt.

"Predictable," Zonic spat as he held the gun. "Since you're so sure of love, maybe I won't kill you just let. I think it'd be more fun to shoot Sonic and let you watch him die," Zonic laughed. Knuckles made a move ready to run at Zonic but he flicked the barrel of the gun to Knuckles, tutting and warning him not to take a step closer. "Any last words?"

"Yeah, actually, just one," Sonic looked up, his eyes meeting Zonic's. "Vapos is so much better than Macton."

"Wha-" Zonic began to question but before he could finish a loud bang rang through the atmosphere as a gun was fired. Knuckles, Blaze, Tails and Tikal all held their breath in shock as Zonic's eyes went wide, before rolling back into his head and he collapsed to the ground. A red hole formed on his head where blood pooled out rapidly.

"What happened?" Tails asked in surprise.

"It's about time you got here. I know I'm fast, but you couldn't have cut it any closer," Sonic called up with a smile, craning his neck skywards to address a figure standing on top of the large boulder.

"Couldn't risk shooting you. Had to figure out which one was the real you first," Razor chuckled as he slid down the boulder and landed on the ground with force. He turned to face Blaze, nodding his head politely. "Blaze, nice to see ya again."

"R-Razor… what are you doing here?"

"Sonic ended up at my arena in Vapos and told me all about what happened. He told me about Shard and the drones and we decided to go finish Vector off ourselves. That's when we heard gunfire and Sonic sprinted off to check it out. Guess I got here just in time, lucky for yer," Razor let out a hearty laugh as Knuckles, Tails and Tikal exchanged confused glances.

"I never thought I'd actually be happy to see you," Blaze giggled as she gave Razor a surprising hug. Meanwhile, Sonic helped Tails up and held him at arms length, his shimmering emerald eyes peering deep into Tails' unsure azure ones.

"Sonic?" Tails asked with a whimper. "Is it really you?"

"It's really me, buddy," Sonic smiled warmly.

"And you… you don't hate me? That was… that was a fake?"

"That was Zonic," Sonic confirmed. "I could never hate you, Tails. You're my best friend. I love you, and nothing will ever change that, no matter what."

"But… why didn't you come find me?"

"I thought you were dead," Sonic tried to hold his composure, something Tails was failing at. "I felt empty, alone. The only thing that kept me going forward to kill Vector. But then I saw you and I… I…" Sonic felt himself go weak. His legs felt like jelly. Suddenly, Tails pressed his face forward and crashed his lips against Sonic's. Sonic closed his eyes, giving into the sensation he craved dearly and opened his mouth to let Tails' tongue poke and slide over his delicately. Sonic flexed, pulling Tails closer until their bodies were pushed together in a frantic, desperate hug as they tried to get as close to each other as possible, neither one breaking the magical kiss.

"Maybe we should give those two a moment alone…" Blaze whispered. "Chaos knows they deserve one after everything."

…

Shard stood in the wide, spacious hanger where hundreds of identical aircraft drones were lined up, pointing at the metal door at the rear of the building. Macton engineers rushed from drone to drone, testing kinks, welding on extra steel plates and making sure everything was running smoothly. Shard crossed his arms as he overlooked his project with a smile.

"Sir," a purple chameleon walked up behind Shard, saluting. He wore a red body suit with big, thick green and yellow boots. A visor clung to his head with a small spot above his eyes where is yellow horn protruded through.

"Speak, Zespio," Shard nodded.

"The mothership is finally ready. We are ready to test the communications and engines whenever you are," Zespio barked rigidly, refusing to move a muscle. Shard smiled, saying nothing. He gave Zespio a slight nod as he slunk out of the hanger, beckoning Zespio to follow. The chameleon relaxed and followed. They slipped through the labyrinth of twisting hallways that snaked throughout the intricate building. Finally, as they slipped lower into the bowels, they came to a closed off door. Zespio produced a key card and let a green light scan it before granting them access. However, as he pushed open the door and held it open, Shard's communicator began beeping.

"Just let me take this quickly," Shard stopped him. Zespio bowed and waited at the door, choking it open with his foot as he waited patiently.

"Yes, Vector, what is it?" Shard asked, raising the device to his ear.

"Just calling to make sure everything is on schedule on your end," Vector said.

"Do you doubt my competency?"

"No, not at all. I've finished loading all the canisters and await your drones."

"We are just doing final checks. We will head out tonight under cover of darkness and arrive in the morning if everything goes according to plan," Shard answered.

"Excellent. I await your arrival. Goodbye," Vector concluded before the line went dead.

"Vector?" Zespio asked.

"The fool still thinks we are going along with his plan," Shard smirked.

"We are still sending over the drones?"

"Of course. I'll continue to let him think he's in charge until the opportune moment. This continent isn't big enough for two communities and by the day after tomorrow, Macton will inherit the land," Shard grinned victoriously.

"Heil Shard," Zespio saluted again, wrenching open the door to let the mechanical hedgehog stride through. The lights flickered on as he entered, illuminating a bunker to reveal the mothership. It was a gigantic, hulking aircraft, more than thirty times the size of the other drones that Shard had created.

"It's time to get this baby into the air."

…

Although it was a warm day, the icy tendrils of a cold frost enveloped the night, brought on by the darkness that draped over the land. The travelling group had once again diverged slightly off the main path and found a small clearing where they set up more of a proper camp thanks to the supplies Razor and Sonic had brought with them.

They all huddled together around a small campfire, a luxury they allowed themselves because of the particularly cold night. The head from the campfire seemed to be sucked into the frigid air around them before it reached their numb, frozen hands. Razor stumbled back into their clearing cradling a few logs and tossed one expertly onto the fire. A shower of sparks erupted into the air but the fire seemed hesitant to devour the new fuel. Flames licked the sides of the log like a timid puppy inching into a room with a growling vacuum cleaner. Finally, after a grueling long, freezing few minutes, the flames found confidence and engulfed the log, and burst into a roaring fire that danced in the wind.

"There she blows," Razor bellowed heartily, eagerly warming up his numb appendages.

"I thought we were going to freeze to death," Tails lamented. Sonic scooted even closer, rubbing the kit's shoulders vigorously to stimulate blood flow.

"Don't worry. You won't get cold as long as I'm here," Sonic cooed softly into Tails' ear. Tails melted into the voice, his muscles relaxing as he fell back against Sonic's chest. He had forgotten how much he missed hearing Sonic's lulling whispers, to feel is warm body.

"I still can't believe Shard would do that," Blaze mentioned aloud, still wrapping her head around Sonic's tale. He had filled them all in on what had happened when they were all separated. Knuckles did the same. Sonic still couldn't fathom how innocent little Cream could have become such a ruthless murderer, but he was too tired to fret for long.

"It's getting late," Tikal yawned as she stood up and stretched her legs. "I think I'm going to turn in. We have a really big day tomorrow."

"Tikal's right," Knuckles mirrored. "Sorry again about the tent situation, Sonic."

"You boys are still more than welcome to share my tent with me," Razor offered.

"Thanks, but we'll be fine. We have the fire and the sleeping bag, anyway," Sonic said. Razor and Sonic had both brought a tent and a sleeping bag each, but didn't expect to run into the others. After some debate, they had decided that Knuckles, Tikal and Blaze could share one tent without a sleeping bag and Razor could have the other tent. Sonic and Tails decided they'd both stay by the fire, more alert in case somebody decided to disturb them during the night.

"Alright. Good night." With that, the rest of them retired to their small tents, leaving Sonic and Tails sitting together by the fire. As Tails threw one last log on the fire, Sonic unfurled the sleeping bag and slipped inside. He wriggled around, making room so that Tails could squeeze in beside him.

It was a tight fit, but neither one minded. They enjoyed being pressed so closely together after being separated for so long and it kept them warm to combat the cool air. Tails lay on his side in a fetal position while Sonic spooned from behind. He draped an arm protectively over Tails' body, pressed his pelvis against Tails' back and slipped one of his legs between Tails'. Sonic rested his head behind Tails, each breath falling over the nape of his neck.

"I missed your smell," Sonic whispered drowsily, inhaling deeply as he cuddled Tails tighter.

"I missed being held by you," Tails replied quietly. He almost couldn't believe this was real. Neither one could. Tails thought Sonic hated him, and Sonic thought Tails had been killed.

"I'm sorry I made you think I hated you," Sonic said.

"I'm sorry I made you think I was dead."

"I love you Tails. No matter what happens in the future, I'll never not love you."

"And I love you too, Sonic. I can't imagine my life without you."

"You won't have to," Sonic soothed, sneaking his hand under Tails' shirt and placed it on his stomach. Tails flinched from the cold contact but relaxed as they shared head. Sonic smiled to himself as he felt the steady rise and fall of Tails' belly and felt his slow heartbeat. "I'll never leave you again." Sonic felt himself drift off to sleep, falling out of reality but Tails' quiet whispers acted as the rope which held Sonic awake.

"I'm scared."

"What of?" Sonic asked in a barely audible voice. He wriggled closer, pressing all of himself as close to Tails as possible.

"Everything," Tails admitted. "But mainly of tomorrow."

"Don't worry, Tails. I'll protect you."

"I know… but… it's all coming to an end. By this time tomorrow night, we'll either have won the war, or we'll be dead."

"That won't happen. We'll defeat Shard and Vector," Sonic assured.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because we have to. Not just for ourselves, but for everybody." There was a short pause before Tails finally spoke one final time.

"Good night, Sonic."

"Good night, Tails."

* * *

 _A/N: Sonic and Tails are finally back together for the first time since chapter 6 when the Leviathan broke them apart. (I know they met when Vapos fought Macton but they didn't really get any time together). With that, all our characters are where they need to be moving into the end game. Only 5 chapters left. Sonic, Tails, Blaze, Knuckles, Tikal and Razor will finally get back to their home town next chapter. Vector, Amy, Shadow and Cream await them in Mobius, while Shard is getting ready to come join them for the final confrontation. As Tails said, it's all coming to an end. By the end of the next day (5 chapters in story time) the war will be over, bu who will reign victorious? You'll just have to keep reading. Thanks for reading!_

Next time on Sontails: War of Faith - Chapter 20: Fiona Fires Back


	20. Chapter 20: Fiona Fires Back

Chapter 20

Fiona Fires Back

The cell was dark and dingy with naught but a single, worn out mattress, a toilet and a small sink. Golden beams of light that shone through the barred windows were the only source of sun. There was nothing to look at, nothing but the bleak, plain walls.

Far below the ground, in the bowels of the old medieval castle constructed and used in Mobius' early days lay an old, decrepit dungeon unused for centuries. The paint had started to chip off with time and the austere stone slabs were decorated only with the etched ravings of past lunatics and depressed inmates. There were five different cells, but only four were vacant.

Fiona stewed in her juices. She barely ate, barely spoke and slept most of the day. The only contact she was granted since her capture weeks ago, apart from a hopeless interrogation session, was her jailers. They didn't talk to her, barely acknowledged her and only recognized her existence when they needed to give her food. However, the two jailers bickered and complained a lot. Their fury and disdain for their once proud nation helped Fiona survive the darkest days. With the knowledge that even his own people resented Vector, she had hope for the future.

Today was one such day when her jailers – Rouge the Bat and Alecia Acorn – were in another angered conversation.

"At least it'll almost be over," Rouge tried to reason as their voices grew louder and their footsteps on the hard-stone floor echoed through the empty halls.

"Yeah, but the over will mean the death of three-fifths of the population!" Alecia spat, disgusted as the two women marched down the corridor lined with cells, carrying a plate of unappetizing food.

"You know we can't go against Vector, despite our hesitations," Rouge warned. "Remember what he did to the others that disobeyed him."

"Exactly, he murdered them. Slaughtered them in cold blood. He's not a leader or a hero. He's not ushering us into a new age prospered by the will of Chaos. Chaos would never let a dictator like him rise to power. This is the work of Iblis," Alecia growled.

"It doesn't matter."

"It does. We're teachers, Rouge. We shape and mold young minds. We get them to see the good of Chaos. We can't teach them about how Mobius rose to glory by following Vector."

"History is written by the victors, Alecia. As scholars, we stand by and observe. Once we win, we can help depose Vector and then write the good intentions behind his heinous deeds and find a light at the end of this black tunnel," Rouge reasoned.

"This long, deathly tunnel." Fiona listened intently, using this moment to finally make her move.

"You mean you used to be teachers," Fiona finally spoke, startling both jailers who'd hardly heard her utter a single word, let alone string a sentence together.

"What was that?" Rouge scoffed.

"You used to be. And once this war ends, Vector won't bring things back to normal. He's incapable. You'll never become educators again. You'll remain prison guards until the day you die," Fiona smirked.

"Don't pretend you know anything about Vector," Alecia growled as she stepped closer, hoping Fiona hadn't heard her hesitations about her leader.

"I know enough to know he's a madman corrupted by greed, power and bloodlust. But I know a lot more about a previous student of yours – Shadow. Well, I guess he's your superior now, isn't he?"

"He'll be our student again soon and we'll steer him back onto a righteous path," Alecia challenged, stepping up so she was an inch away from the bars. Fiona stood and gripped the bars with white knuckles, conducting a staring contest.

"He's a monster, almost as bad as Vector. There's no repentance in his heart. His heart and soul are as black as his fur. He's mad and has unquenchable thirst. The pair of them will only lead this world to chaos."

"You don't know anything!"

"Alecia, leave her," Rouge spun her partner around and led her away from the caged fox. "Let's just go back upstairs. Maybe have a glass of wine to calm ourselves."

"Whatever." Alecia shot a final glance back at Fiona, who smirked and waved at her. As soon as the jailers were out of sight Fiona let a small chuckle escape her lips as she held up the silver key she had swiped from Alecia's belt when she was distracted. Fiona twisted her arm through the bars and inserted the key in the lock, turning until the bolt fell loose and the barred door swung open.

"Freedom at last," Fiona sighed, breathing in the air as she snuck down the corridor and out of the decrepit castle.

…

Sonic yawned as he wriggled out of the sleeping bag, being as careful as possible not to wake the sleeping kit beside him. Sonic smiled as he looked down on Tails' sleeping figure, so peaceful. Sonic didn't realize until now how lucky he was to have Tails, despite the predicaments they always seemed to find themselves in. However, he also knew that happiness can't last forever. One way or another, everything would end by nightfall and Sonic prayed that by the end of it, Tails would be okay. Even if it meant sacrificing himself.

"S-Sonic?" Tails asked groggily as he rubbed his eyes, sitting up. "What time is it?"

"Go back to sleep buddy," Sonic cooed. "It's dawn. I'm just going to stretch my legs."

"I'll come too," Tails croaked as he pulled himself off the hard ground, cracking his back.

"Alright, but be quiet. Let the others get some sleep," Sonic suggested as they tiptoed away from their makeshift campsite, black coals littering the bed where the fire used to rage. The pair waited until they were a good distance away before they began to talk.

"Sonic?"

"Yeah buddy?"

"I, um, just wanted to wish you a happy birthday," Tails smiled sheepishly.

"It's my birthday?" Sonic asked.

"I think so," Tails shrugged. "I kinda lost track of the date when we were on the island and never thought to check but it's sometime around this year."

"I don't think it's for another week or two, buddy," Sonic chuckled.

"Still… if something happens and I don't get to see you turn eighteen I figured I'd say it now," Tails twiddled his thumbs awkwardly.

"Enough of that sour talk. Nothing is going to happen to us. I won't let it."

"You really think this is all going to turn out okay?" Tails asked, never feeling more unsure in his life.

"I don't know, Tails. I don't know what the future holds, but I do have hope, and that's all that matters. As long as there's hope, there's a future that has us in it."

"Okay." Tails purred softly as Sonic draped his arm around Tails' shoulders as the two circled around and walked back to camp. By the time they arrived, Tikal, Blaze, Knuckles and Razor were all awake and packing up their supplies.

"About time ye showed up," Razor bellowed happily.

"We thought something might have happened to you," Blaze worried.

"We just went for a little walk," Tails assured her.

"Why are you so happy today, Razor?" Sonic asked.

"Because today is the day we finally stick it to ye father. Vector's reign of terror ends today!" Razor barked as he tried to stuff the tents back into their bags.

"Don't worry about packing up the camp," Knuckles said. "We're close to the city so we won't need to camp anymore."

"Knuckles is right, it's just heavy weight," Tikal added.

"Besides, after we end this war we can all come back here and camp, thinking back on this moment," Knuckles laughed.

"Alright, then it's settled," Sonic decided as he filled his pack with only the essentials before hoisting it onto his back. "Let's head into town!"

…

"I must have dropped it somewhere," Alecia thought aloud as she traced her steps back down the cobblestone staircase.

"I can't believe you lost the key," Rouge sighed. "For a teacher you're pretty clumsy."

"It's okay. It's not like it's that big of a deal."

"It would be if the prisoner managed to find it."

"How would that be possible? Fiona couldn't have… couldn't… have…" Alecia trailed off, her heart falling into a pit in her stomach as her words caught in her throat.

"She's gone," Rouge breathed as the two teachers turned guards stared at the empty cell, the gated door hanging ajar.

"Shit, shit, shit," Alecia cursed as she paced back and forth. "This is bad, this is bad, this is bad."

"Alecia, calm down. Let's just leave before anybody knows. It's not like anybody besides us comes down to check on Fiona." However, as if a cruel twist of fate, they heard loud, echoed footsteps growing closer. They both gasped, turning to see Shadow's figure slowly descend the steps.

"Ladies," Shadow nodded in monotone.

"Sh-Shadow," Alecia stood up straight. "What are you doing here?"

"Vector is done of the prisoner and wants me to dispose of…" Shadow trailed off when he reached them and saw the open cell. "Where is Fiona?"

"Fiona? Fiona who?" Alecia laughed awkwardly.

"Don't play games with me," Shadow scowled. "Where is the prisoner."

"Oh… that prisoner… we, uh…"

"We moved her," Rouge quickly chimed in, coming to the aid of her friend. "Right, Alecia?"

"Y-Yeah… this cell was too good for her so we moved her somewhere else."

"Where did you move her? All the other cells are empty."

"Well…" Shadow narrowed his eyes, studying Alecia's sweat covered face. He glanced down to her belt, noticing that her key ring was missing, whereas Rouge still had hers clinging to her belt.

"Alright. I believe you. If she's moved, I'd like the keys to the cell back."

"You… you what?"

"Give me the keys," Shadow growled.

"Well… I… you see… the funny thing is…" Alecia sighed, knowing full well she couldn't hide her screw up. "Alright, Fiona swiped my key when I fed her earlier and escaped." Shadow said nothing. He simply clenched his fist and inhaled deeply.

"He's taking this better than expected," Rouge whispered. Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, Shadow unholstered a pistol and fired it straight at Alecia, his former teacher. The bullet hit its mark and struck Alecia squarely between her eyes. She didn't even have time to react before the life drained out of her and she fell to the floor.

"You… you… you killed her…" Rouge babbled, unable to form a coherent sentence as she stared at the blood stained on her clothes. Alecia's blood.

"She let Fiona escape. I need Fiona… I have revenge I need to serve."

"She… she used to be your teacher," Rouge couldn't fathom her old pupil's sudden, demonic change.

"And she used to be alive," Shadow shrugged, holstering his pistol. "Now, you better go find Fiona and bring her back to me or else the next bullet will hit you."

"You can't do this," Rouge shook with fear.

"I'm your superior, whether you like it or not, and as long as Vector remains in charge, you'll do as I say. Or else," Shadow warned, all emotions draining from him and being replaced with anger. It was the only emotion he knew left, ever since Sonic alluded him all those months ago. It swelled around inside him, contorting him until his bloodlust for vengeance consumed him.

"She only escaped a few minutes ago," Rouge said. "She couldn't have gotten far. I'll track her down and bring her back."

"You'd better," Shadow said, snarling as Rouge snapped into action and brushed past him, sprinting up the stairs as fast as she could. "I'm surrounded by idiots!"

…

They stood on the edge of town, still hidden behind the tree line to the north. A strange feeling coursed through the teenagers. It had been so long since they had returned to their town. It was eerie looking back at the place they all grew up and spent their whole lives. It looked the same, but felt entirely different.

"Be careful. We can't be spotted," Sonic warned as he took the front. Tails followed closely behind. Knuckles, Blaze and Tikal continued afterwards.

"I'll watch our backs," Razor whispered through the silent, stagnant air. The six crept further into town in single file, keeping to the shadows and off the streets. They passed familiar buildings. The bakery, the local swimming pool, the pub. It was exactly how they remembered it, except something was off.

"Where is everybody?" Tails asked wearily.

"It's like a ghost town," Blaze added poignantly. A few cars roared by and the rare straggler roamed the streets, but the usually bustling streets were empty.

"I guess everybody was either conscripted and sent to fight or are staying in their homes from fear," Razor suggested.

"That's horrible. It wasn't like this before I left," Tikal frowned, her mind wandering.

"That was ages ago. A lot can change in an ever-escalating war," Knuckles said.

"It's only been a week and a bit. Surely it can't be this drastic." The town lay under a blanket of silence. Traffic lights blinked red, yellow and green to control the non-existent flow of cars. The road was empty, the town desolate.

"C-Come on," Tails urged. "We need to keep moving."

"Vector set up shop in the crumbling castle at the southern tip beside the coast," Tikal explained as she strolled with less care. She took the lead. "It should be another few hours of walking before we get there."

The air was hot. The sun beat down from overhead and the buildings beside the group absorbed heat and radiated it onto them. As they pushed through the ghost town, hours ticked by and sweat drenched their faces.

"Wait," Sonic called. "Let's go this way," he thumbed down a side street.

"But that's the long way to the castle. If we keep going this way we can follow the coast around," Tikal countered.

"I know, but we should stop by my house first."

"Sonic, we don't have time-" Blaze began to argue but was cut off.

"The boy has a point," Razor interjected. "Vector is his father, so we might find something helpful at his old house."

"It's as good a plan as any. The odds are stacked heavily against us right now," Knuckles pointed out.

"Alright, fine," Tikal huffed begrudgingly agreeing to take the longer way around. Sonic led them down the winding streets, taking many turns before he found himself at one end of the familiar street. Sonic passed by the white fences of the cookie-cutter houses until he stood outside the front door of his childhood house.

"Here we are," Sonic breathed as he lifted up a small flower pot beside the door and scooped up the small, silver key that lay hidden underneath. He held the key in front of the lock, standing frozen.

"Well, what are ye waiting for?" Razor barked. Tails noticed Sonic hesitation and stepped up beside him, slipping his hand inside Sonic's for support. Sonic gave his hand a squeeze, inhaled deeply and twisted the key. The door creaked open and Sonic stepped inside.

Sonic's breath caught in his throat at the sight. It was exactly the same as it always had been. It was like he stepped back through time. He could imagine himself sitting on the couch watching Saturday morning cartoons. He could hear his mothers sweet voice calling, or Tails' tired figure tiptoeing down the stairs rubbing sleep out of his eye while he clutched his blanket. It had only been three and a half months since he had last stepped foot in this house, but it felt like an eternity. It felt like it was in a different life.

"Alright, let's have a look around," Razor commanded. The six of them began to get to work when they heard footsteps coming from the kitchen and they all froze.

"Vector, honey, is that… you…" the sing-song voice of Sally chimed from the kitchen. Her melodic voice grew louder as she stepped out into the living room expecting to see her husband. She had a plate clutched in her hand and a drying towel in the other. "Sonic?"

The sound of the ceramic plate shattering onto the hard wood floor filled the silence as it cracked into small, chaotic pieces.

"Mum?" The word got caught as he tried to force it out. Sonic could feel his heart beating a thousand times a minute as he stared at his mother.

"Sonic… Sonic it is you," Sally gasped, shaken out of her trance and rushed over to him. Knuckles and Razor immediately jumped to defense, but Sonic waved them away and rushed up to her. He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her tight. She returned the gesture.

"Sonic… my beautiful boy," Sally's eyes welled up with tears, spilling into Sonic's shirt. "I'm sorry about what happened. I never wanted you to run away."

"Mum… I missed you," Sonic sniffed, trying to keep his composure.

"I missed you too, sweetheart. I was so wrong. I'm sorry it took me so long to realize. I'm sorry I judged you, and blamed you for something you couldn't control."

"It's okay, mum. I forgive you." Tails, Blaze, Knuckles, Tikal and Razor watched on with smiles on their faces.

"I just wish I could have stopped him, but there's nothing I could have done, and then I lost you."

"Mum, I-"

"I lost you to him when you fell out of the light. I should have been a better parent, but I guess the pull was just too strong."

"Mum...?" Sonic took a step back, keeping at arm's length as he stared into his mother's misty eyes. "You're talking about dad, right?"

"Your father? No, I'm talking about Iblis. I should have realized you were losing yourself to sin. I should have solved this myself before it blew up into a war."

"What are you trying to s-" Sonic was cut off as Sally acted quickly. She was too quick, and Knuckles, Razor, Tails, Tikal and Blaze could do nothing but watch helplessly. Time seemed to slow for Sonic as he realized what was happening, but he was at his mother's mercy, unable to stop her.

Sonic shuddered, Tails screamed, and the others gasped as Sally's arm slid to her leg in a flash. She pulled out the dagger and thrust it deep into Sonic's flesh – the flesh of her only son.

* * *

 _A/N: Sorry this one took so long but I've just been writing so much that I need to take a little break for the holidays. However, I thought I'd quickly at least finish this chapter since it was already half complete. As you can see, just becuase Vector has ushered in a war doesn't mean all the inhabitants of Mobius are okay with this. Most just want things to go back to the way they were, but they're too afraid to even walk the streets anymore. And most of you thought I forgot about Sally. "Why was Vector the leader? What about Sonic's mum?" I didn't forget, and here is the pay off. I hope it was worth it and I hope you're liking the story. We're coming out to our final four chapters now and the final battle between our heroes, Shard, Vector, Shadow, Amy and Cream is fast approaching. Who will live? Who will die? How will this all end? Stay tuned and find out next year._

Next time on Sontails: War of Faith - Chapter 21: Back-Up Blunder


	21. Chapter 21: Back-Up Blunder

Chapter 21

Back-Up Blunder

Everyone was still as a stunned silence descended upon the room. Tails felt his heart break into a thousand pieces as Sonic slumped to the ground. Razor and Tikal stood to the back wall, completely speechless after witnessing the cruel and emotionless display. Blaze let out a barely audible whimper as she shook. Knuckles was the first one to act.

"How… how could you," Knuckles shook, his head down and eyes fixed on the floor. He bit his bottom lip and clenched his fists, willing himself to act.

"I… I…" Sally babbled, her eyes growing wide as she wrenched the dagger out of her only son's stomach.

"He was your child!" Knuckles growled, snapping his face to glare at her with hateful eyes. "He might not have turned out the way you wanted, but he found love. He was happy!" Knuckles bellowed as Sally stared absently at her blood-soaked hands, the crimson liquid drying and seeping into the soft skin of her palms.

"But I… I didn't mean… Chaos would have… Iblis had…" Sally circled on the same few words constantly as Knuckles continued his verbal onslaught.

"You were so concerned about your beliefs you don't see what you've turned into," he berated her. "What kind of god would want his own subjects to murder each other for having a different opinion or preference. If your god would really want his subjects acting like this then count me out. You disgust me. Vector disgusts me. Chaos disgusts me!"

"Vector said it would help him… purify him… his soul can be happy in paradise with Chaos."

"And if that's true, he will be because he never killed anybody. Sonic only helped people, but you murdered him. I hope for your sake Chaos doesn't exist, because if it's true he'll be sending you straight to Iblis when you die. Murderer!" Knuckles yelled. His harsh, loud words snapped Tails out of his stupor and she shot to attention, rushing to Sonic's aid as he skidded along the ground.

"Sonic?" Tails questioned with misty tears clouding his eyes and running down his face. "Sonic… it's going to be okay… please don't die on me." Tails tore some of the fabric off his shirt sleeve with all his might and dabbed it on Sonic's open wound in a desperate and fruitless attempt to stop the blood flow. Sonic groaned and writhed in pain, his eyes still closed.

"You… you're right," Sally finally said as she stared at the glistening blade. "I killed my own son… I deserve to be tortured by Iblis!" Sally cried as she turned the blade and plunged it into her own gut.

"No!" Blaze called desperately as she snapped to attention.

"S-Sally!" Knuckles gasped as Sally made an upward slice, cutting open more of her auburn flesh as blood and guts spilled out onto the floor. Her face went white and Knuckles and Blaze rushed over to mother and child lying on the floor.

"Stop the blood flow!" Blaze commanded, instincts taking over. "I'll go find some medical supplies, don't let them move around too much."

"I'll help ye," Razor said tonelessly as he raced after her wanting to feel useful.

"What is she-"

"Her mother was a doctor and taught Blaze a lot, she'll be able to help," Knuckles tried to comfort Sonic and Sally as he knelt down beside her.

"T-Tails," Sally coughed, blood spurting from her ruby red lips.

"Mrs. Hedgehog?" Tails asked, his hands never leaving Sonic's wound. Knuckles mirrored the fox's position and tried to stop Sally's bleeding but it was no use. It wasn't just a small puncture wound but a gigantic gash all the way up her chest. She had mere seconds in this world and everybody knew it.

"I-I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Tails asked with tears in his eyes.

"You really were… the best thing… that happened to him," Sally croaked as the life left her. Tails sniffed, unsure how to respond when Sonic painful groans snapped him back to reality.

"Hang in there, Sonic, Blaze is coming to help. I promise." Knuckles shook his head solemnly as he placed his two fingers on her eyelids and gently shut them.

"She… she… she…" Tikal finally found her voice again. She couldn't move, hands cupped around her mouth in sheer shock as Knuckles turned to face her. He could see the horror in her eyes.

"See why we left?" Knuckles asked.

"She killed her own son… just because she thought it's what Chaos wanted?" Tikal had always been raised to believe Chaos was a benevolent deity that looked out for his subjects, but what god would allow this kind of revulsion.

"People just see the negativity. They lust for blood thinking it's what Chaos wants," Knuckles sighed as he shuffled over and helped Tails stop the liquid that oozed through the fabric. "It's a vicious, heartless world and all we can do is try to live in peace. I just hope we aren't too late for him like we were for her." Tikal was speechless. She couldn't move. She wanted to help save him but her legs refused to. Luckily Blaze and Razor rushed back into the room with a first aid kit she had found in one of the kitchen cupboards. Razor clutched a primitive defibrillator in one hand.

"Move out of the way," Blaze commanded firmly as she knelt down beside Tails and Knuckles.

"But he-"

"If you want him to live, move!" Blaze shouted. Tails shrieked quietly as he scooted away, his eyes never leaving the festering wound as she removed the crimson fabric. Immediately another wave of blood began gushing out of his deep wound.

"It he going to be alright?" Tails asked.

"I need complete silence," Blaze commanded as her instincts took over.

"But-"

"Knuckles, if he speaks one more time I want you to take him outside."

"Understood," Knuckles shot a warning glare and Tails bit his tongue, his heart beating a hundred times a minute.

"Antiseptic," Blaze said as she held out her hand. Razor sorted through the first aid kit until he found some disinfectant and some bandages. He also handed her a small bottle of alcohol.

"Here ya go."

"This might hurt a bit," Blaze warned as she poured the alcohol over his open wound. Sonic howled in pain, seething but Knuckles held him down. Tails and Tikal looked away, unable to see him in such pain.

Blaze then used the disinfectant and held some bandages over the wound to stop the fresh blood as she studied the wound.

"It's deeper than I thought," she sighed. "We don't have time to waste. Vector's plan is being put into action now, but Sonic needs more rest."

"Do… what you have to… do," Sonic groaned.

"Sonic, if you move you'll lose more blood. The only thing that could fix you is stiches but-"

"Do it," Sonic urged.

"We don't have any anesthesia."

"Do it," he repeated.

"Alright…" Blaze hesitated as Razor dug around for a needle and some thread. He reached over and picked up a small chew toy off the wooden floor.

"Muttski's chew toy?" Sonic asked in confusion.

"Bit down on it for the pain," Razor commanded. Sonic hesitated, thinking the task was disgusting but as he felt Blaze prick the needle through his skin and tug tightly as his skin was pulled together he threw the thing in his mouth and bit down to alleviate the excruciating, burning pain. Blaze continued her work, threading the needle in and out of his skin until the wound was closed up. She bit through the thread and applied a bandage to the wound.

"There… fini- Sonic!" Blaze cried as he began writhing. Foam gurgled in his mouth as he shook.

"He's having a seizure!" Tails cried.

"He's gone into shock," Blaze cursed.

"Do something!"

"I'm thinking!" Blaze growled back, her mind spinning as she tried to remember how to treat a patient who had fallen into shock when he immediately stopped writhing around on the floor and lay still, his face drained of colour.

"Is it over?" Razor asked.

"He's not breathing," Knuckles said.

"Tails, come to the head and when I say now, blow two rescue breaths into his mouth," Blaze commanded as she placed the heel of her hand in the middle of his chest and placed the other hand on top of the first. "One, two, three, four," Blaze counting rhythmically as she compressed into his chest. The others watched on silently as she counted. "Twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty, now!" Blaze commanded. Tails acted quickly, administering two breaths into Sonic's mouth, making sure his chest rose and fell before Blaze started counting to thirty again.

"Please, Sonic, be okay," Tails prayed. After repeating the process three times, Sonic showed no signs of improvement and Tails began to get hysterical. Tikal watched on helplessly.

"It's not working!"

"Keep it up. Breathe now," Blaze growled. "Razor, set up the defibrillator and place the pads on his body where the image shows."

"But you're still doing compressions."

"Just work around me," Blaze said as Tails finished and she began pumping his chest again. Knuckles helped Tails pull Sonic's shirt over his shoulders and Razor carefully stuck the adhesive sides of the pads on the top right and bottom left.

" _Scanning patient_ ," a mechanical voice buzzed as Blaze continued pumping. " _Shock advised, please stand clear."_

"Everybody back up," Blaze called as they all scooted a few feet away. Blaze pressed the button on the machine and Sonic's body jolted as electricity was sent surging through his body, completely stopping his heart.

" _Commence CPR,"_ the voice instructed. Blaze jumped right back into her rhythmic compressions trying to restart Sonic's heart in a stable beat after it was fully stopped by the defib. After a few more cycles, Sonic finally coughed. Blaze quickly rolled him onto his side as Sonic vomited up some bile and sighed.

"S-Sonic," Tails cried out in disbelief.

"Hey… why are you crying?" Sonic asked feebly. "It's not like I died or something," Sonic joked faintly as Tails collapsed onto him and wrapped his hands around him, refusing to let go as Sonic let out a weak laugh. Everybody sighed, watching with a smile as Tails refused to let Sonic go.

About ten minutes passed as Blaze caught her breath and the others breathed a sigh of relief before they began packing away the first aid and defibrillator and said a few words about Sally.

"At least dad was good for one thing," Sonic smiled weakly as he sat up.

"What?"

"If he hadn't had his heart condition mum wouldn't have been adamant about keeping a defib in the house just in case," he laughed jovially before it turned into a wheezing cough.

"Just rest, Sonic," Tails said, but couldn't hide the smile that appeared on his face.

"Guys, I don't want to rush things, but we kind of have a deadline," Tikal urged.

"We'll rest for a few hours and then head to Vector's castle. Sonic is in no condition to go anywhere just yet," Blaze decided.

"I'll go find us some food so we can keep up our strength," Knuckles said as he rose.

"I'll help you," Tikal said, wanting to feel useful as the two headed over to the kitchen.

"Tails?"

"Yeah, Sonic?"

"Would you mind going to your house and getting the bag that I packed and left there that night we had to run away?" Sonic asked.

"O…kay… but why?"

"Just do it, please?"

"Sonic, people could be out. It's dangerous," Blaze warned.

"I'll go with him. Nobody will see us if he sticks with me," Razor grinned.

"Alright, I'll make sure Sonic doesn't get worse. Just… be careful, okay?"

"Okay, be back soon," Tails said, his eyes meeting Sonic's. Sonic just gave him a smile as he closed his eyes and began snoring softly.

…

Fiona hadn't made it very far. She had barely reached the town's outskirts when Rouge caught her. The tantalizingly close edge of the forest was just out of reach. If she could just make it to the undergrowth she could slip away into the forest freely. She was almost there when a gunshot sliced through the air like a crack of lightning and Fiona screeched to a halt.

"Don't go anywhere," Rouge bellowed from behind. "Put your hands in the air." Fiona turned around slowly and raised her arms. Fear crossed her face.

"Now, Rouge, let's not do anything crazy," Fiona soothed softly.

"Shut up," Rouge hissed. "Alecia's dead because of you and if I don't bring you back I will be too. Just give up Fiona, it's the end of the line for you. Your fate was sealed the moment you gave Shadow that scar."

"Rouge, don't you see what a monster he is? How can you be okay with doing this?"

"It doesn't matter what I think," Rouge sighed with downcast eyes. "He'll kill me if I disobey."

"He's only seventeen!"

"And he's still more powerful than almost everybody in Mobius."

"Rouge, what Vector and Shadow are doing is wrong. Surely you see that?" Fiona tried to appeal to Rouge's sensible side.

"This all started because of your boss. Wave declared war on us. Aves invaded us!" Rouge growled, her hand shaky as her finger tickled the gun's trigger teasingly.

"Because Big killed her friends. He slaughtered Jet and Storm for helping out a young boy who needed help."

"It doesn't matter," Rouge shook her head. "This war is almost over and when it is things can go back to normal and we won't all have to live in fear anymore."

"Don't be so ridiculous, Rouge," Fiona barked. "You're a history teacher. You know how this will turn out."

"You're wrong."

"You're in denial. Mobius will win the war and Vector will rule the entire continent like a dictator. Shadow will only gain more power. Things will never go back to the way they were if Vector wins. He'll kill anybody that gets in his way."

"He wouldn't. It's against Chaos' plan."

"How can you be so blind!" Fiona bellowed helplessly. "This isn't about Mobianity. It was never about Mobianity. Large just used it to push his agenda and it garnered his family power. Big might have been just a priest but he too saw an opportunity and used the fear and hatred of Sonic and Tails' relationship as an excuse to reaffirm his strangle hold on the community."

"Big was a great man, who believed deeply in the word of Chaos," Rouge defended.

"He was a disillusioned maniac who thought any god would want him to slaughter innocent teenagers for nothing more than finding love!" Fiona scolded. "He was mad, and so is Vector. But Vector's more dangerous, Rouge. He isn't doing this for Mobianity or his beliefs. He's using fear to gain control, like Large did. Big might have been a believer, but Vector isn't. He knows what he's doing is wrong but doesn't care. He's dangerous, Rouge, and deep down you know it to be true."

Rouge's feet were planted firmly in the soil as her arm shook. She stared down Fiona but as hard as she willed herself to pull the trigger, she couldn't. With a defeated sigh she lowered her gun and slumped her shoulders.

"Go," Rouge whispered.

"What?"

"I said go," Rouge yelled. "Run away and never come back."

"But what about you? Shadow will-"

"I know what I must do," Rouge interrupted. Go and save your community. I'll be fine."

"Thank you, Rouge," Fiona smiled weakly before she turned and sprinted off to get lost in the deep, thick forest behind her.

…

The hot, bright sun beat down across the Mobian community. Slowly, a dark menacing shadow inched its way through the sky, shrouding the town below in darkness as it stalked across the sky. Razor and Tails dove for cover underneath a nearby veranda as the beast causing the shadow flew overhead without noticing them.

The giant, metallic bird-like ship soared through the sky overhead, kept aloft by three mighty engines and four sweeping turbines. It boasted three levels and was constructed around a large spherical dome that acted as the heart of the contraption.

Vector strode confidently out of his crumbling castle with a smile as he watched the machine touch down in the grassy field beside the castle. Swarming behind the machine were hundreds of small drones similar to the one Sonic had stolen, but each was remotely controlled without a pilot. They followed behind their queen like bees and with a press of a button in Shard's control room on the mothership they all stuck into the ground around his ship.

Vector stood a few meters away with Shadow and Amy by his side as a great drawbridge descended down from an opening of the ship and metal shutters screeched out, digging deep into the dirt. Shard emerged from the hatchway and walked carefully down to meet his ally.

"Shard, I'm glad you finally made it," Vector bowed with a curtsy.

"My men finally got the armada in top condition. Have you the serum?" Shard asked starkly in reply.

"I've upheld my end of the agreement, yes," Vector nodded. "It's ready in the canisters you requested."

"Excellent. If you would be kind enough to help me load them into the drones so we can begin purifying the land."

"Amy, help the men load the canisters into his ships, and don't forget to show him to the biggest one. That one goes in the mother ship."

"Understood," Amy saluted and led Shard into the castle.

"What will I do, sir?" Shadow asked.

"Has your plan worked?" Vector asked ominously.

"I believe it has. The seeds have been planted. All that's left is to spring the trap."

"Perfect. I'll let you handle that then. Remember, I don't want Sonic dead, just incapacitated. I want him to watch," Vector grinned as he marveled at Shard's numerous, mechanical armada. "It's poetic, really," Vector mused aloud.

"Sir?"

"It's like we're starting a new flood. Just as Chaos sent torrential rains to purify Mobius from all the sinners centuries ago as told in the old testaments, so too are we recreating his enactment. Our gas will flood Mobius and kill all those unworthy of Chaos' great plan and, just like our ancestors, we will rise from it stronger and more faithful than ever," Vector monologued.

"But Sonic will-"

"Yes, Shadow, we will deal with him after we force him, and that retched fox, to watch."

"What of the others?"

"Kill them," Vector shrugged. "Now I must help load the main canister. Make sure your plan doesn't fail."

"It won't," Shadow grinned menacingly as he retreated back into the castle.

…

"This will help get his energy back," Knuckles mused aloud as he stirred the gigantic pot. The meaty stew bubbled and gurgled underneath the heat of the stove's flame. Knuckles reached over to grab some spices and peppered them into the big pot, stirring occasionally. As Knuckles cooked, he noticed Tikal's dour demeanor out of the corner of his eye. "Hey… Tiks… everything alright?"

"That's the second time you've called me Tiks…" Tikal sighed.

"You've proved time and time again that you're deserving of your pet name again," Knuckles smiled genuinely at her. "We would have been dead several times this adventure if it wasn't for you. In fact, we'd have been completely oblivious of everything on the island if you hadn't risked everything to come find us."

"I… yeah," Tikal's gaze shifted until she was staring absently at the floor, her mind running wild. "Knux," she finally spoked after moments of contemplative silence.

"Yeah?"

"How could Sally be so cruel?"

"Hmm?"

"The way she blindly tried to kill her own son, just because she thought it was right. It's just wrong," Tikal said.

"I know, but that's why we're here. To stop Chaos' supporters," Knuckles answered.

"But Chaos isn't evil," Tikal argued. "I believe in him and his teachings and many other innocent people who could never harm a fly do too."

"That's why this is such a delicate situation. Chaos isn't the problem, it's his devoted followers that take every word as certain fact. They take it to the extremes and trick themselves with illusions to justify the horrible acts they commit as okay because they think it's what Chaos wants."

"But-"

"Religion isn't bad, Tikal," Knuckles continued, deep in thought. He'd had long months to ponder his feelings. He'd always been deeply religious, never missed a Sunday sermon at church and followed Big's teachings to a tee as a kid. It was only when he saw how everybody turned on his two best friends for seemingly no reason did he begin to waver. Knuckles thought he had finally figured out his feelings.

"But everything you guys have been doing has been against Mobianity," Tikal pointed out.

"No," Knuckles shook his head. "I think religion is important. It helps us answer the unanswerable questions. It helps give life purpose and is the reason we all strive to live life as our best selves. Without it, we'd descend into anarchy. Whether you believe or you don't, it doesn't matter as long as you believe in living life as a kind, noble person."

"So why did you run?"

"Because, certain people take advantage of the need to believe. Big saw an opportunity to do Chaos' work, or at least what he was blinded to believe was his work, and became a dictator, much like Vector. They use Chaos as a tool to control their subjects. This war wasn't started because of Chaos. It was started because two boys found love and an archaic book written hundreds of years ago by man said they couldn't. Most people probably wouldn't mind, but Large, Big, Vector and countless others use this fear to incite riots. If we unite people under one hatred, we can control them. That's what Vector's done. He might think he's doing what Chaos wants, but really he just wants to rule the world, whether in Chaos' image or not. He's nothing but a murderous dictator."

"…and it's all my fault," Tikal exhaled deeply.

"What? How?"

"I started everything. I found out about Sonic and Tails. You warned me, that night when I found the diary. You said I'd make a big mistake if I told everybody but I wouldn't listen. I helped chase Tails into Aves where he met Wave, Jet and Storm. I started this bloodshed."

"Tikal… it's not your fault," Knuckles soothed.

"But it is… I was blinded and I-" Before Tikal could finish the door flew open and Razor's warnings echoed through the kitchen. Knuckles and Tikal dropped their conversation and ran into the lounge to see what was happening.

"We saw a giant mechanical ship fly overhead," Tails warned. Sonic was sitting in one of the chairs with Blaze behind her. Tikal and Knuckles rushed into the room panting.

"And hundreds of smaller drones were flying behind it, just like the one you arrived in Vapos with, Sonic," Razor added.

"Shard," Sonic cursed under his breath.

"Yer suspicions were right," Razor said gravely. "Macton and Mobius have formed an alliance. They are going to destroy the other three communities. I don't know how they plan to do it, but I bet these drones are the key."

"We're running out of time," Sonic growled, trying to stand. In the time since he'd been stabbed he had began to feel a little better but was still nowhere near his full strength.

"Sonic, you need some more rest," Blaze urged.

"But we're running out of time," he fought.

"I think we still have some time," Tails said thoughtfully. "They were heading for the old castle at the southern tip."

"That's where Vector's taken up residence," Tikal nodded.

"If he's heading to meet Vector, it means Shard probably needs something from Vector first. I'd wager we still have a few hours. We all need some food and Sonic needs more rest. I say we all get an hour of rest and to help collect ourselves mentally before we push forward."

"Ya really have become a little leader, Tails," Razor mentioned.

"Alright, well my stew's almost ready."

"I'll go get you some, Sonic," Blaze offered.

"Guys, could you set up the kitchen table. I'll meet you in there, I just need a moment alone with Tails first," Sonic asked.

"Of course," Blaze nodded as she retreated into the kitchen to help get lunch ready with Tikal, Knuckles and Razor. Tails waited until they had all gone before he approached Sonic on the armchair. Tails knelt down beside him and took off the backpack, handing it to Sonic.

"You asked me to get this for you," he offered the bag.

"Well, I didn't really want the whole bag," Sonic chuckled weakly. "Just this," he smiled as he rustled around inside the bag until he fished out the old, battered diary.

"My diary?" Tails asked in confusion.

"Technically it's mine now," Sonic grinned cheekily.

"Why did you bring it to my party?"

"Because I wanted to show you it," Sonic handed Tails the diary. Tails thumbed through the pages, seeing his neat handwriting sprawled with emotion on page after page. He flipped through until he found the last entry he wrote at Christmas. Then he noticed the writing had changed to a sloppy attempt with larger letters and bigger spacing.

"I continued. I wrote in it every day up until your party. I wanted you to read what I had to say about you." Tails felt stupid as tears welled up in his eyes as he read the beautiful things Sonic had written. He had no idea just how happy and complete Sonic felt every time they were together.

"You don't like it?"

"No," Tails sniffed, wiping away the tears with the sleeve of his shirt. "No, I just… I can't believe you really feel this way."

"Of course I do, Tails. I love you, more than anything in the world. I just thought you should know the extent of my devotion to you," Sonic smiled. "I'd travel to hell and back just to save you. Wherever you run, I'll follow, even in death.

"I… I don't know what to say."

"You could say you feel the same?"

"You're an idiot," Tails smiled as he leant over and crashed his lips against Sonic's slipping his tongue deep into Sonic's mouth to explore the familiar cavern he'd spent weeks missing. He lapped up Sonic completely; his taste, his scent, his looks, his feel and the way his pants sound, filled with lust and love as Sonic moaned contentedly into Tails' mouth.

"I love you so much," Tails said as they finally pulled away, exhausted.

"I love you, too. Whatever happens, I'll always be with you," Sonic held out his hand.

"Always," Tails slid his fingers between Sonic's.

…

A few hours passed as the group devoured Knuckles' delicious stew, made plans and finally set off on the short trip from Sonic and Tails' street to the old crumbling castle on the edge of Mobius' sheer southern cliffs that historians had fought to preserve. Sonic and Tails paused a moment as they passed by their old place of solace, now only a black, barren land of soot and ash where nothing could grow.

"Alright, it's time," Razor whispered as he took the lead and rushed around to crouched behind a damaged stone wall a few meters in front of the large wooden door that stood as the main entry of the castle. They noticed the metal giant around the back side of the castle and made sure to stay completely out of its sight.

"Everybody remembers the plan?" Knuckles asked.

"If Sonic's description was correct, then I'm pretty sure the big ship is the mothership and the unpiloted drones are connected by a frequency controlled manually from a central control like a hive mind. I'll find it and try to disengage the drones once we get through the castle," Tails explained.

"I'll be there to make sure you get to the mothership, even if I have to personally take out Vector, Shard and Shadow all by myself," Knuckles growled.

"You'll have to accept my scraps because I won't let them get anywhere near him," Razor smirked, winking at Knuckles.

"I'll lead everybody through so we don't get caught. I think I remember the interior pretty well," Tikal said quietly, almost nervously.

"I'll help keep a lookout and help out in a fight if need be," Blaze added.

"And I'll stick with Tails."

"Sonic, we've been over this," Blaze scolded. "You're in no condition to fight."

"I won't fight unless I have to, promise," Sonic nodded. "But if it comes down to it, I'd rather break my stiches and risk bleeding out than let anybody, especially Shadow, get their hands on Tails. He'll die over my dead body."

"Then we're all agreed," Knuckles said with finality. Everybody locked eyes and nodded with determination. "Alright Tikal, lead the way."

Tikal swallowed, darted her head to make sure the coast was clear before she rushed over to the main door and pushed it open with the others in toe. They were surprised it was unlocked but thanked their lucky stars and didn't argue as they slipped into the castle.

"This way," Tikal whispered as she led them through a series of twists and turns until they found themselves standing in front of another large door. Tikal pressed her palm against the door, took a deep breath and pushed it open. She raced silently into the room, followed closely behind by Razor and Knuckles, Blaze, Sonic and Tails.

The room she led them into was a spacious cylindrical room with nothing of note except a campy throne stuck into the stone at the other end. Tikal stopped when she reached the very center. The others approached her, confused.

"Tikal, there's nothing in here," Razor hissed.

"You haven't gotten lost, have you?" Knuckles asked. Tikal seemed to not notice their concerns. Knuckles tiptoed up to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Tikal?"

"I'm sorry," Tikal whispered, unable to meet Knuckles gaze.

"Tikal? You're sorry? For wh-" Knuckles began to ask but before he could say anything bright lights above them switched on, blinding the party. They shielded their eyes with their arms as a loud, gloating cackle filled the room.

Sonic squinted through the light to see five guards rush into the room and take up position blocking the group from the only exit to the room. They stepped apart as a familiar face strode through their ranks with a smirk. It was Shadow.

"So nice of you to finally join us, Sonic," Shadow laughed like a cartoon villain, his eyes trained on Sonic with maniacal intent.

"How did you…" Sonic trailed off when he saw Tikal push through them and walk right up to Shadow wordlessly.

"You did beautifully, sweetie," Shadow congratulated as he snaked his arm around Tikal's middle and planted his lips firmly against Tikal's. They all gasped in complete horror as Tikal took a stand beside Shadow, five guards beside them and their only escape further behind.

"Tikal… how could you?" Knuckles bellowed. He felt utterly betrayed.

"You're all idiots," Shadow taunted. "And now, thanks to your idiocy, it looks like it's the end of the line.

* * *

 _A/N: Of course Sonic's not actually dead! How could I kill him off before the climax? But he's incapacitated and won't be much help for these final three chapters to wrap up our 48 chapter adventure. I know it probably seemed a bit much with the whole CPR, defib thing but I've always hated how CPR is treated in movies and novels. Being a surf lifesaver I've had my fair share of rescues and I've had to perform CPR before and it's a scary process that takes a long time. People don't just come back after trying once and I wanted to illustrate that a bit. I hope it wasn't too boring, I just wanted to make it realistic._

 _But for the big reveal, yes, as most of you assumed Tikal was always on their side. Maybe you didn't think as a romantic relationship with Shadow, but on his side nonetheless. I might have tried a bit too hard to make you like her and think of her as a good guy but it made sense for her character. Her plan was always to keep tabs on them and report back. 'Why didn't she just kill them while they slept?' Because her task wasn't to kill them, it was to deliver them to Shadow so that he could torture Sonic. Of course Shadow didn't want somebody else to kill them, he always wanted the satisfaction himself, he's a bit insane if you hadn't noticed. But, trust me, everything she did and said has relevance. Just keep reading, only three chapters to go!_

 _Sorry about how long it's taken between updates, almost a month I think. I've just been so busy and over this summer break I've been working 6 days a week and have had almost no time to write. However, since there's only 3 chapters left, I'd expect this fic to end before the end of March... maybe April, we'll see. But it's almost at its end, so I hope you've been enjoying it. How do you think this is all going to end? Who will live, who will die? Please let me know, I love hearing what you have to say._

Next time on Sontails: War of Faith - Chapter 22: Castle Throne Room


	22. Chapter 22: Castle Throne Room

Chapter 22

Castle Throne Room

As Shard watched Amy and Vector gradually load the cylinders into the hundreds of unmanned drones with some of their men, he struggled to pull the biggest canister on a trolley. With sweat pouring down his face he managed to pull the three-meter-tall circular canister underneath the main spherical heart of his ship. Shard boarded his ship and sat down at his command chair. He input a series of numbers and codes into one of the many screens dotting the main panels. Slowly the steel shell of the sphere opened up and a mechanical crane descended until its gaping jaws clamped around the top of the huge container.

With a turning of gears the crane hauled the canister into the ship as the shell closed off around it. Shard smiled as he readied a quick command to start the drop mechanism when his holographic device began to beep. He pressed a button and a fading, crackling blue image of Zespio appeared in front of him on the bridge.

"Zespio, is everybody safe?" Shard asked.

"Yes sir, I've sent out the wide alert and all of our people are retreating into the bunkers. There's enough food and water to last three days," Zespio responded.

"Three days should be enough time. The effects of the big bomb should only last around twenty-four hours. I'll stay in the ship and come back when the atmosphere is clear."

"Understood. Have you handled Vector yet?"

"He's still useful. I'll wait until he's gotten everything ready before I deal with him."

"Alright. Sealing off the bunker now. All communications will be dead so we'll wait for your signal. Over and out," Zespio saluted before the crackling image dissipated, leaving Shard smirking as he watched from the bridge of his ship as Amy and Vector continued to load the gas.

…

The circular hall was cold as a silent wind whipped through the center. On one side next to Vector's throne, Sonic, Tails, Blaze, Knuckles and Razor stood completely unarmed. On the other, blocking the only exit to the room, stood five guards with guns aimed at the ready. Tikal crouched with her head hung low beside Shadow, who loomed high over everybody grinning from ear to ear. His eyes were alight with fire and vengeance licked his skin. He was reveling in the moment.

"Tikal… how could you do this," Knuckles clenched his fist, his arms trembling as he held an arm out protectively to shield Blaze from the vehement stares of the five guards behind Shadow. Shadow, however, had his glower stuck to Sonic's unflinching face.

"I… I'm sorry," Tikal whispered jadedly.

"Don't give them any satisfaction," Shadow snapped. "If Knuckles was idiotic enough to fall for your façade then that's his problem, not yours. Don't feel bad, you did your job admirably, but now you're finally back and you can stop pretending," Shadow smiled as he placed a thumb under her chin and lifted her resigned cobalt eyes to meet his. He pressed his lips against her and slipped his snake-like tongue into her mouth, exploring the forgotten space.

"I've forgotten how good you taste," Shadow licked his lips. Tikal remained silent but didn't protest.

"You are dating that monster?" Blaze gasped horrified. "And to think, after all this time you finally got me to trust you."

"I did love him, yes. But Blaze, I-"

"But nothing," Shadow growled as he slapped Tikal into stunned silence. Her eyes flew open with fear as she clung to her stinging cheek. He had never hit her before like that. He was always so gentle. She tried to remember back to the times when he was so sweet.

 _You're the only thing that keeps me sane in this upside-down world. Amy means nothing, I love you._

His words used to be so heartfelt and filled with love. Tikal had thought he grew to need her. She thought he loved her. Was that just an act too? She was so confused and unsure, but bit her tongue and tried to shrink further into her own skin.

"I'm sorry I ever doubted you," Knuckles turned to Blaze. "I should have believed you, but I was just so confused after she had come back into our lives. I thought I was happy and had moved on but just seeing her sent this flurry of emotions back into me."

"It's okay," Blaze soothed as she slipped her hand into his. "She fooled all of us, not just you. I forgive you."

"It's cute you thought she could ever love you," Shadow chortled loudly. But enough about her, this is about you, and me," Shadow turned to peer deep into Sonic's eyes.

"Exactly," Sonic countered, ignoring the pain in his gut from his stitched, bandaged wound. "So let them go and we can finish this mano a mano."

"Why would I let these Iblis worshipers go. I'll let them watch you die and then I'll send them straight to hell where they belong," Shadow hissed.

"Once this is all over, you'll be the only one going to hell," Sonic barked.

"You know, I've waited a long, long time for this moment," Shadow began as he paced back and forth, safe in the knowledge that none of them could do anything to harm him. "My whole life I've lived in your shadow. Ironic, isn't it."

"Shadow, I-"

"Shut it!" Shadow bellowed. "Don't interrupt me when I'm talking. For once this is my time. I'm in the spotlight, not you. I've always been second. Every race, second place. Everybody loved you more. You were faster, you were funnier, you were more popular, you had the better looks… Why couldn't it be me? And then, after you had it all, you went and decided to fall in love with… him! With a guy! You had everything I ever wanted and it wasn't even good enough for you!"

"Shadow, I didn't fall for Tails to spite you," Sonic protested.

"It wasn't enough, was it? You just had to ruin it. Then you embarrassed me in front of everybody, broke my leg and still you got the happy ending. You'll never know real pain, real torment. Not like me. Twelve long, grueling years I spent being outshined by you, but no longer! I'm gonna rule this entire continent with Vector and you're gonna end up in the ground!"

"You're mad."

"Maybe, but at least I'm the one holding all the cards," Shadow grinned maliciously as he ordered one of his guards to hand him his pistol. However, as the guard stepped out of line and handed Shadow the pistol, an earsplitting crack echoed around the room and the guard fell to the ground, blood seeping from a bullet hole in his head.

"What the-" Shadow was cut off when another shot rang out and downed another guard. "Rouge," Shadow narrowed his eyes as he caught sight of the black and white bat as she rushed out of her cover around the corner and aimed the gun at another guard. Just as she pulled the trigger and downed a third guard Shadow fired back with two quick shots in succession. The first collided with the old stone harmlessly while the other hit her in the forearm. Rouge howled in pain as her own weapon was dropped to the floor. Shadow's eyes glinted as he shot her again but Rouge rolled out of the way and hid behind the large doors.

"After her," Shadow roared with fury as the two remaining guards turned to deal with Rouge while she was injured.

"Now," Razor shouted, nodding at Knuckles as the two shot off and barreled into the two guard's whose backs were turned. They toppled onto them as the four men collided on the floor in a tangle of limbs.

"Blaze, here," Knuckles shouted as he took a blade one of the guards had sheathed as a back-up and threw it towards Blaze.

"That could have cut me!" Blaze cried out as she jumped away from the blade. The metal clanged against the stone ground as sparks flew.

"Sorry but take it!" Knuckles cried as he wrestled the guard to the ground, pinching his shoulder as the guard desperately tried to reach the pistols which lay haphazardly a few meters away. Blaze shook her head. She scooped up the knife and brandished it, her eyes hooked on Tikal.

Meanwhile, Rouge rushed out of cover and tried to grab her weapon again but Shadow was quicker. He was upon her within seconds and knocked her to the ground. Sharp pain flew up her arm as her injured wrist smashed against the ground. Shadow kicked her gun away. She wailed louder when Shadow stomped his food down on her wrist and ground her skin against the stone.

"Sh-Shadow, please, stop," Rouge winced.

"You're a traitor," Shadow hissed. "You betrayed Vector and you betrayed Chaos."

"No, you're wrong," Rouge choked out through pained sobs. "I thought that too, but my eyes have been opened. I didn't betray anybody. Big and Vector betrayed Chaos. They killed and murdered. That's not Chaos' way. You can kill me, but my soul will soar to paradise while yours will burn in hell."

"That's a small price to pay," Shadow ground his teeth as he pulled the trigger and shot Rouge right between the eyes. She died instantly.

"Monster!" Sonic growled as he ran into Shadow, knocking them both to the floor. Shadow's gun flew from his hand and scattered across the ground. Tails acted quickly as he rushed to Sonic's aid.

"Sonic I-"

"Tails, no," Sonic shouted, interrupting Tails. "I've got Shadow. You need to finish the plan. Get to the mother ship and stop the drones before it's too late. We'll catch up when we can."

"But Sonic," Tails hesitated.

"Now," Sonic yelled. Tails took one last look at Sonic as he struggled to subdue Shadow while they rolled around on the floor before he tore his eyes away and ran to the open door. He bent down and retrieved Rouge's dropped weapon before he sprinted out of eyesight and off into the distance.

"Never," Shadow grunted as he delivered a devastating punch right into Sonic's gut. His knuckled hit hard right where Sonic's stitched would was and Sonic rolled over in pain, heaving as a bit of bile climbed up his throat. Shade pounced on his gun and squeezed the trigger, sending the last few bullets at Tails' back as the fox ran. None of them hit their mark. Shadow cursed, hurling the empty gun at Sonic as he jumped to his feet and gave chase.

"I'll kill Tails first, then I'll get you," Shadow warned as he hastened from the throne room. Sonic shook off the pain and struggled to his feet. He couldn't let Shadow catch Tails. There was no way Tails could overpower him alone.

"Come on, Sonic, let's get that murderer," Razor called with enthusiastic vigor and determination as he rose from the pile of bodies. While Shadow and Sonic tussled, Razor and Knuckles had quickly dispatched of the final few guards. Razor and Knuckles shared a nod before Razor took off with Sonic to give chase to Tails and Shadow while Knuckles turned his attention back on Blaze and Tikal.

"Blaze, no!" Knuckles screamed.

…

Mighty led his army valiantly as they marched west from Aves' capitol, following the rarely traversed ground. Canyons and valleys eventually turned into winding rivers and large lakes and dams before Mighty as his army had arrived at the outer boarder of Vapos' coastal capital.

"There they are!" Abyss called as a bunch of amphibian troops jumped from their cover and opened fire on the unaware Mobian force.

"Take cover!" Mighty called as he noticed the ambush in time. He dove behind a nearby tree as he watched dozens of the front-line troops fall to the ground. "Curses, they planned this. They knew we were coming." Mighty pulled out a device and called Vector up.

"What's the news? Have you conquered Vapos yet?" Vector barked from the other end of the line.

"They were ready for us, sir. We're completely out numbered and out manned. We might have to retreat and regroup," Mighty responded.

"That's fine, it matters little," Vector said. "Just start to retreat. We've readied the drones to dispense the serum. It will be less than an hour before we drown Vapos. Run as far away from the capital as you can before we act. We're hitting Vapos, Aves and Zuncon so find refuge in the forest away from the capitol's and hide out there for-" Vector's voice was cut off with a grunt.

"Vector?" Mighty screamed back. "Vector, Vector?" The line was dead. "Fall back!" Mighty shouted over the gunfire. "Run to the forest. Get as far away from the coast as you can. Plans have changed. Find cover!"

…

 _She scooped up the knife and brandished it, her eyes hooked on Tikal._ Blaze felt the pent-up rage build inside her as she let out a guttural grown and rushed to Tikal. Images of Tikal sneakily trying to steal Knuckles from her flashed through her mind.

'It was all a lie. It was a trick to break us apart,' Blaze thought. 'She only did that so that we'd be weaker and easier to kill.' Hatred burned brighter as she ran closer and pounced, the sheen of the blade sparkling in the light. Tikal did little to fight back as she fell to the ground. Her arms were sprawled out, her soft underbelly open as Blaze pinned her down with her powerful thighs and slashed the air above Tikal like a mad man.

The blade sat precariously against Tikal's skin as Blaze pushed it against her neck, soft enough to not draw blood but enough to enforce Blaze's warning. The harsh metal should have been cold against her neck but Tikal felt numb. She couldn't feel anything except the loathing. She didn't believe in her cause anymore. After being around them for so long, Tikal's eyes had been opened. Seeing the destruction Vector, Shard and Shadow had left, how could they be right? Sally was blinded by false visions. She knew Chaos wouldn't want this. Chaos wouldn't want death.

Tikal's throat and heart were held in Blaze's silver grasp and she could do nothing but stare lifelessly into her betrayed eyes as she held the knife with terrifying coldness. There was no trace of the peaceful, loving vibrancy her topaz eyes used to hold. Now there was nothing but fearful hatred.

Tikal trembled as she closed her eyes and tipped her chin into the sharpened edge and tempted Blaze to end her anguish. A tiny stream of blood trickled from the feeble cut. Blaze's Knuckles turned white but she didn't remove the blade. She didn't flinch, but stared more menacingly at Tikal with a cruel smile that stretched across her alien features. This wasn't Blaze. She had been transformed by betrayal, sadness, anger and hopelessness. She had become the monster she had always feared and nothing could snap her out of her daze.

Tikal's frozen heart lurched at her merciless gaze as her breath failed her. Blaze's steadfast grip on the deceased guard's polished blade shifted and more crimson blow dripped from the raw wound she'd inflicted.

"Blaze, no!" Knuckles screamed. His voice shot through the darkness clouding her mind like lightning, stunning her back to her senses. Blaze gasped as colour returned to her eyes and her head shot up to see him stumbling over to stop her.

"I… I didn't mean…" Blaze babbled.

"Blaze, let go of the knife," Knuckles said slowly. Blaze did as she was told, unable to believe she was about to strike Tikal down in cold blood. "I'm sorry, Tikal."

"No… I'm sorry. For everything," Tikal whispered as she let out her last breath. With a free hand she gripped Blaze's wrist and pulled her hand closer. Before Blaze could resist, Tikal had guided her hand swishing sideways and the shard edge of the blade sliced across the bare skin of Tikal's neck.

"Tikal, no," Knuckles gasped as blood spurted out like a dam's wall had burst.

"It's… okay," Tikal choked on her own blood. "I've accepted… my fate." Blaze and Knuckles descended into silence as Tikal died painfully in front of them. Blaze couldn't take it any longer and flung and around Knuckles, sobbing into his shoulder.

"I know she was bad… but I didn't mean… I didn't want her to…" Blaze sniffed.

"I know… Despite everything, she didn't deserve to die," Knuckles sighed.

"I don't know what came over me," Blaze wailed. "I almost killed her."

"Almost," Knuckles repeated. "But you didn't. She killed herself, not you," Knuckles soothed as he rubbed the palm of his hand around her back.

"It's horrible, all the death that's happened."

"She's in paradise now," Knuckles concluded, dragging his two fingers over her eyes to let her rest in peace before pushing off the ground. He held out his hand and helped heave Blaze to her feet. "C'mon, this isn't over yet. We need to go help Sonic and Tails."

Blaze nodded and took one last look at Tikal's dead body before she rushed out of the throne room and down to where Shard's mother ship was docked. That would be the place where this madness would all end once and for all.

* * *

 _A/N: I know this is a shorter chapter than normal but from here on they won't be as long as usual because not a lot is left to happen. There's only 2 more chapters next and most of it will take place in Shard's mother ship. We've finally started our big climax, and two main characters are dead. Rouge and Tikal. There's still a bunch left, including Sonic, Tails, Blaze, Knuckles, Shadow, Amy, Cream, Shard, Razor and Vector but I'll tell you something, they won't all still be alive by the end of chapter 24._

 _Tikal, in the end, couldn't take the guilt, especially after she saw the demon Sally had became and decided that she couldn't live with herself any longer. Rouge came back to help our heroes out of a bind but in the end she couldn't escape with her life. Now Tails has run off to try to stop Shard, but it won't be easy, especially since Shadow is right on his tail._

 _I hope you've been enjoying this and please let me know how you think this will all end. Two more chapters, one climax spanning 48 chapters worth of work. I promise I'll try to get it written but it probably won't be until the start of March. Either way, have a great day and see you next chapter :)_

Next time on Sontails: War of Faith - Chapter 23: The Flood


	23. Chapter 23: The Flood

Chapter 23

The Flood

'The seventeenth day of the second month — on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights.'

The old story of Cobar and the flood had been taught for centuries to children in mandatory Sunday school. Back in times long before the creation of the five communities, the creatures of Mobius grew corrupt and perverted. As the tale goes, 'Chaos saw how great the wickedness of the Mobian race had become on Mobius, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the Mobian heart was only evil all the time.'

The level of sin and corruption had become staggering as more and more creatures let Iblis engulf their hearts for selfish gain. Chaos watched helplessly until he could stand by no longer. Chaos wanted to purge Mobius and wipe away all the animals who inhabited the earth, but Cobar found favour in his eyes. Cobar, his wife, his three children and their wives were all instructed to create a boat that was big enough to hold two of every animal. Cobar did and was spared by the wicked flood that ravaged Mobius and killed all the impure beings. Chaos purified Mobius from all sin so that it could be rebuilt again, and it was.

However, history has a way of repeating itself. Vector, blinded by the radical ideals of Big the Cat spearheading a wicked campaign with illusions of Chaos' will, looked back on the old stories. He knew his own son, his son's boyfriend and their allies had let Iblis back onto their world. Through that gateway, Iblis was slowly corrupting all the communities. Vector thought it was his duty to stop it. Big developed, and then Vector perfected, a gaseous serum that when inhaled would rip Iblis out of the inhabitant and kill them violently in the process. This was his new flood. A flood that would spare the chosen and wipe away the impurity of everyone else.

Luckily, on his quest to implement this flood, Vector met his equal. Shard Metal. Shard knew the true wrath of Iblis. As just a child, his father had sauntered home drunk one night with fury in his eyes…

 _"You little brat," Captain Metal roared with anger as he stumbled into Shard's bedroom. Shard was barely five years old. Captain was drunk._

 _"Dad, get away from me," Shard tried to yell back as he crawled away from his father._

 _"She would still be alive if it wasn't for you," Captain bellowed as he smashed his bottle of beer onto Shard's night stand. It broke in half. Captain brandished the other half in his hand, its edges tipped with serrated, sharp glass shards. "You ruined my life!"_

 _"I didn't do anything," Shard cried as he stumbled backwards. Shard's father had beaten him his whole life, but it was never this bad. His father was blocking his bedroom door and the only escape was the window. He tried to hurry over and open it but he wasn't fast enough._

 _"You were born," Captain growled as he swiped and stabbed with the broken bottle. Shard could do nothing but wail as he fell into a crumbled ball, waiting for his life to end. Flames were alight in Captain's eyes as he made one final lunge for his son to finish off the single reminded of his dead wife. However, the alcohol clouding his brain caused him to trip. Captain's foot snagged the foot of Shard's bed and in a blind flurry to steady himself he slammed into the window sill._

 _Shard acted quickly and on instinct. He gripped his father's legs between his arms and pushed. Shard watched in horror as his father fell from the third story window and landed on his neck bellow, dying instantly._

Shard was never a happy boy, but dark clouds blew into his heart that night. Vector thought he had found an equal, somebody to help usher a new age. Shard Metal was anything but that angel sent to aid him by Chaos. Shard would be Vector's undoing…

…

Tails' heart beat fast as he sprinted past room after room, navigating his way through the maze of big ballrooms and narrow corridors of the old, crumbling castle. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Tails found the exit and raced out into the flat field where Shard's gigantic metal bird-like mother ship was perched. Hundreds of smaller drones began to lift off the ground and buzzed around the biggest ship awaiting instructions.

Tails swallowed his fear deep inside him, clenched his fist and tiptoed up the metallic bridge that connected the inside of the mothership to the grass below. Tails was surprised by the sheer size of the interior but followed the path up where it connected to the bridge of the ship.

The interior was a circular room with a lower level that had three staircases to the west, east and south of the ship that led to a higher tier. Most of the walls of this central bridge were windows looking out into the surroundings. Control panels, chairs and railings dotted the top tier and, looking out in the middle, was the captain's chair.

Tails climbed up one of the staircases, clung to the rail and approached the chair facing the main controls when it spun around on its axels and Tails came face to face with none other than the metallic hedgehog, Shard.

"Well, well, well," Shard smiled, his eyebrows raising with intrigue. "A golden, Mobian fox. You must be Tails. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Sonic has told me so much about you."

"Don't you mention that name," Tails growled with such malice he surprised even himself.

"Enough with the theatrics. Don't pretend you have a chance left, runt," Shard hissed back. Tails opened his mouth to counter Shard's words but his eyes trailed off to the ground beside him. They were drawn to the spot, and he gasped when he saw Vector's crumpled, seemingly lifeless body beside Shard's chair.

"V-Vector? But… but he?"

"He what?" Shard taunted. "You think this was all his doing? He might have thought he was in charge, but after everything he was merely a pawn like the rest of this pathetic community."

"But… but why did you…" Tails was at a loss for words.

"My whole life I've been put down. I've been avoided, lied to, told I'd amount to nothing. My society dumped me, but I was determined to prove everybody wrong. I rose to the top of Macton, became their leader. I promised to usher them into a new age of prosperity and peace, and that's exactly what I'm about to accomplish," Shard pronounced victoriously.

"But you started a war!" Tails accused.

"Vector started the war. I'm merely ending it." The gears in Tails' brains were turning when he heard the faint sound of scuffling underneath him. He sneakily peered beneath him and saw Shadow silently striding onto the ship. Tails knew his time was up. He had to do something.

"How did you do all this? How did you trick Vector and Mobius?"

"I'm glad you asked," Shard smiled, reveling in his genius. "After word spread about the Avians declaring war on the Mobians I thought this was finally my chance. It was then that I searched and met Vector. It was easy to deceive him. He was blinded by fury. The hatred he felt for his own son and you, it was delicious. It was easy to exploit. I used his lust for power and the grudge he bore to gain his trust and plant the seeds in his mind about _his_ big plan. As he constructed the serum to spread across the land, I set to work on my own plan. Now that it's all been readied, I had no use for him. All of Macton is safely locked underground ready to wait out the flood of gas. It will purge Mobius and, in the aftermath, Macton will rise and will finally be able to control the whole land, not just the barren desert your ancestors forced us into. Retribution is at hand and… wait," Shard paused, his smile faltering. "Very clever. You got me monologuing to buy time for your friends to arrive."

"You have quite the hubris," Tails smirked defiantly, swallowing his fears and reservations. He knew he needed to stay tough, not just for himself but for his friends and for Sonic.

"Well, it seems you didn't stall enough," Shard noticed Shadow climbing the stairs and called to him. "Shadow, help, Tails broke in and killed Vector!" Shard's façade was perfect. However, Shadow didn't rush to his aid or sprint to combat Tails. Shadow stood still, like a tree rooted to the ground, only his eyes shifting from the fox to the other metallic hedgehog.

"Shadow, don't," Tails pleaded.

"You heard me. Finish him!" Shadow didn't move a muscle.

"V-Vector?" Shadow asked, his eyes finally falling on Vector's crumpled body.

"I wasn't trying to get you to monologue to stall for time," Tails smiled. "I just wanted you to reveal the truth so that Shadow could hear it all."

"You… you heard what I said?" Shard's smirk faltered. Shadow nodded wordlessly.

"You are trying to destroy his community, Shard. Why would he work for you?"

"Shadow, listen to me, son," Shard stared directly into Shadow's conflicted eyes. "Vector was delusional. They all were. Help me, and you can be by my side as we usher the whole continent into a new world order. Stay with me until the gas settles and you can help create peace." Shadow remained motionless as he thought about Shard's offer. "By my side, you can also finally end the one thing that's caused you so much pain and torment. Sonic."

That struck a chord. Shadow swallowed the lump in his throat and his eyes fogged over as he turned and skulked over to Shard's side to stare menacingly at Tails. He had made his choice, driven by the promise of finally getting his revenge. The idea of Sonic had taunted him for months, slowly driving him insane and if this was Shadow's only chance to finally be freed of his nightmarish thoughts, he'd take it.

"Shadow, don't!" Sonic bellowed as he jumped up the stairs and skidded to a stop beside Tails, Razor following close behind with loud panting.

"Sonic," Shadow let out a low growl, his eyes narrowing. "Finally made it to our little end game."

"Shadow… please, don't do this. Don't-" Sonic stopped mid-sentence when his eye fell on Vector's body, lying motionless beside Shard and Shadow.

"He killed him," Tails whispered.

"He… he killed dad?" Sonic was at a loss for words. Everything he had worked for, already gone. He didn't even get to say what he had planned to say to the father that ruined his own son's life. Sonic had so much. But there wasn't time for that. Sonic needed to push the thought of his father far from his mind to focus on the present.

"He got what he deserved," Razor pointed out heartlessly.

"Come on, Sonic. Step forward and face me, one on one," Shadow offered as he stepped into the middle of the circular bridge. Sonic went to take a step forward but felt a hand clamp around his wrist, holding him in place.

"Sonic, don't. You can't win," Tails begged, wrapping his dainty fingers around Sonic silently begging him to stay.

"I have to do this, Tails. There's no other way," Sonic bargained.

"But you're still injured. See," Tails pointed to the bandages wrapped around Sonic. They were tinted red. Sonic's wound had re-opened in the throne room scuffle and blood wet the bandage.

"No guns. No weapons. Just you and me," Shadow continued, his voice rising. "You knew this was coming, ever since you broke my ankle at the park. You might have escaped me this whole time but no longer!" As Shadow yelled, spittle flew from his mouth and stained the metal ground beneath him. "Face me now!"

"I accept," Sonic growled back, stepping forward so the two hedgehogs were barely a meter apart. Shard stood behind Shadow, a wide smile crossing his face as his fingers secretly tapped away on his control board. Opposite him, behind Sonic, stood both Tails and Razor, neither one knowing quite what to do.

"Shadow, are you sure you really want to do this?" Sonic asked.

"I've dreamt of nothing more for the past four months," Shadow replied viciously.

"Don't you see what you're doing is wrong?"

"I'm doing it for the glory of Chaos."

"No, you're not. Look behind you. Vector thought he was fighting for Chaos, but he slaughtered thousands. What kind of god would want that?"

"Only those not worthy were cut down," Shadow spat back, growing increasingly impatient.

"But don't you see? Vector isn't the one you're fighting for now. He's dead. Cut down by Shard, who only cares about himself and his people. You aren't fighting for Chaos, you aren't fighting for Mobius… you're fighting for Macton and Macton alone!" Sonic bellowed.

"Shut it," Shadow snapped, shaking his head with each of Sonic's words that threatened to pierce his head. He placed his hands on his temples, shut his eyes and tried to block out everything. "Shut it, shut it, shut it!"

"Shadow, wake up and look around you. What you're doing is wrong!"

"I don't care," Shadow shouted like a crazed lunatic, his eyes bloodshot and red. "You've been turning me against everybody. You turned Mobius against me as a kid, you turned Amy against me, Tikal, Vector, everybody! I need to make it better. I need to make the voices stop. They won't leave me alone. Every night the voices torment me… your voice torments me. I need to make it stop. And I can only find peace with your death," Shadow was salivating.

"Shadow… I didn't do anything."

"You consorted against me your whole life. My misery made you happy."

"That's not true," Sonic tried to reason, but it wasn't helping.

"I need revenge. I want revenge. I'm owed revenge," Shadow repeated.

"Shadow… Revenge is an end, not a beginning. Revenge is like a drug. It fuels you, keeps you going through to the dark, but once you've acquired it you feel empty. All those you leave in your wake to quench the thirst for vengeance are gone and only then will you be truly alone. I don't want to fight, Shadow."

"You just want me to step aside. You're trying to trick me. You've turned everybody against me and now you're trying to turn my own brain against me too."

"Shadow, enough!" Shard bellowed. "Finish him, now." In an instant Shadow snapped. He pounced on Sonic, knocking him to the ground and delivered a punch right into Sonic's face. Sonic acted fast, bringing up his stronger hand to block Shadow's second blow. He brought up his knee and slammed it into Shadow's crotch. Shadow howled with pain and rolled backwards, giving Sonic enough room to wriggle out from underneath him and back up a few meters.

"Sonic," Razor and Tails called out but he raised a hand, advising them to keep back.

"Stay away. This is between me and him," Sonic warned. Shadow shouted in rage and got back to his feet, his eyes glowering at Sonic's fragile frame.

"Shadow… don't do this."

"I need to." Shadow staggered closer as Sonic still sat on the ground. He tried to stand up but a sharp stabbing pain shot through his side. He hissed in pain, clenching his eyes shut as he fell back. When he opened them again, Shadow was upon him. Sonic sighed. He knew he couldn't win. He held his arms out to either side, tilted his head back and looked Shadow right in the eye.

"Very well, Shadow. You win," Sonic began softly. "Go ahead and kill me. Stop the voices. At least it will sooth you and chase away the voices. Just know that despite everything, I never meant to hurt you. I thought we were good friends, once. I still wish we could be friends, in some parallel world. I know saying sorry isn't enough so, go on, kill me. I'm sorry for everything." Sonic closed his eyes and gave his fate to Shadow.

"Sonic, no!" Tails screamed in terror as Shadow wrapped his hands around Sonic's windpipe. However, as Sonic waited for death, Shadow let go. Sonic peeped open one eye and saw Shadow fall to his knees and smack his head.

"I can't do it," Shadow whined like a crazed lunatic. "I can't, I can't. The voices, they say to but, but I don't want to be lonely. I don't want revenge. I don't want any of this. I want things to be the way they did before. But Sonic needs to die," Shadow snapped, his voice changing slightly. "But he gave his life to us," Shadow replied, debating with himself. "Kill him. Don't. Revenge. Forgiveness. Shut it, shut it, shut it," Shadow screamed to the heavens. He fell into a ball and rocked back and forth. He had completely lost it.

"Shadow?" Sonic asked.

"Enough of this foolishness," Shard yelled angrily. "If Shadow can't finish this, I know somebody else who will. Now!" In the blink of an eye, a figure dressed in an ashen cloak dropped from her concealed hiding spot above them and drew her dagger across Razor's bear throat.

Razor's eyes bulged open as he tried to speak but no words came out, only gargled chokes. Sonic and Tails both gasped, calling his name as they tried to help him but it was no use. Razor through his hands to his throat to stop the spurting blood but it was no use. In a matter of seconds Razor fell to the floor, dead.

"Cream, how could you?" Tails asked.

"You'll regret that," Sonic threatened and, despite the stabbing pain, he lunged forward. However, he was knocked off his balance and fell to the ground. Tails rushed to help Sonic back up and they both looked at the new person who defended Cream. It was Amy Rose.

"Didn't think you could have a party without me, did you, Sonic?" Amy asked menacingly.

"Amy… Cream…" Sonic and Tails both faced them.

"You both ruined our lives," Cream began.

"You were supposed to be with us, not each other," Amy continued for her friend.

"We could have stopped this whole war…"

"…If you only loved us!"

"I'm sorry, but I love Sonic." Tails said.

"And I, Tails."

"Stop talking and just kill them. I don't have time for this," Shard instructed from his chair.

"I'll take Cream, you take Amy," Sonic decided.

"But Cream is stronger and you're still weak from your injury. Besides, I made Cream this way. I should clean up my mess," Tails argued. Before the two could debate further, Amy pounced on Sonic, knocking the both of them to the ground. Tails looked back to make sure Sonic was okay but in the split second he turned his head, Cream thrust her arm forward. Tails barely stepped out of the way, narrowly avoiding the sharp point of Cream's crimson tipped dagger.

As Sonic and Amy wrestled on the floor, Tails danced around Cream as she stabbed at the air again and again. He raised his arm as the dagger flew under his arm. He fell to his knees as she swiped above his head. Their deadly tango of attacks and dodges continued until Tails felt the air sucked out of him. He couldn't keep up much longer and Cream showed no sign of slowing down. Tails could only continue to avoid her jabs. The next time Cream swung, Tails jumped out of the way but tripped over his own feet, colliding with the ground below. Cream smiled, towering over him as she readied herself for the final, fatal blow.

Suddenly, a loud thud echoed through the bridge and Cream froze, the knife falling from her hand. Her eyelids grew heavy and she fell to the floor.

"Sorry we took so long," Knuckles smirked. "We just had to deal with Tikal."

"Thanks for the save," Tails panted as he looked at Cream, passed out on the ground. As Knuckles helped Tails to his feet Blaze pushed past the two of them and rushed over to heave Amy off Sonic.

"Blaze," Amy hissed.

"Thought you would be rid of me for good?" Blaze asked.

"I assumed Tikal could handle you. I guess Shadow's choices for girlfriends was pretty weak."

"You can say that again," Blaze stared Amy down.

"You think you're so perfect, don't you?"

"No, but at least I don't force others to do whatever I want because of my insecurities."

"That's it!" Amy shrieked as she pulled out a dagger of her own and brandished it, slicing through the air. "I've been waiting a long time to do this!

"Blaze, look out!" Knuckles shouted. He tried to run up to help Blaze but as he put his foot out something clasped around his ankle and brought him crashing down painfully. Tails gasped as Cream whipped her head up, her hand still clamped around Knuckles' ankle.

All of a sudden, the whole ship began to vibrate as a loud sound of a turbine broke through the air. Tails wobbled backwards while Cream and Knuckle still lay on the ground. Blaze steadied her balance as her and Amy stared each other down. Sonic struggled through the pain inflicting him as Shadow rocked back and forth, watching all his former friends and enemies fight.

"Looks like you're too late," Shard laughed as he took hold of the controls and guided the mother ship up into the air. Sonic looked out the windows as hoards of the drones whizzed about in the air, each carrying a canister of the nasty gas. Sonic tried to rise to stop Shard but Amy stopped him.

"We need to stop Shard," Sonic urged.

"You're not going anywhere," Amy growled, readying to fight both Sonic and Blaze at once. Meanwhile, Cream jumped to her feet and began another barrage of thrusts, this time switching between both Knuckles and Tails. She was too much for the two of them.

Sonic tried to combat Amy but Shard took a sharp turn left and Sonic fell to one knee, the pain in his side unbearable. It struck his vision and he was almost blinded by the pain. Amy took her chance and brought the knife down over Sonic's heart when a hand blocked her attack, wrenched her wrist backwards and stole the dagger from her grasp.

"Sh-Shadow?" Blaze gasped in surprise.

"Sonic, go stop Shard," Shadow growled. "Hurry, before I change my mind." Sonic locked eyes with Shadow, nodded and scurried to his feet.

"Shadow, what are you-"

"We can talk or we can stop Amy," Shadow interrupted her. "Now quick, there's some rope downstairs. Let's bind her quickly before she can break free," Shadow instructed as he struggled to contain Amy. She yelled, wriggling and thrashing about violently but Shadow was stronger.

"I hate you," Amy fumed. "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!"

"Sonic!" Tails called out for help as Sonic struggled over to where Shard was sitting. He glanced back, the scared voice of his angel grabbing his attention. He saw Cream backing both Tails and Sonic into a corner, her blade glinting in the setting sun. Sonic hesitated for only a moment. The decision was obvious. Shard, and all of Mobius, could wait. Tails needed help.

Sonic rushed over and before Cream knew what hit her, he threw himself onto her. They both fell to the floor and Sonic howled in pain as he smacked into the unforgiving metal. Cream wriggled out from underneath him quickly and snatched back her dagger but when she looked up she saw both Knuckles and Tails looming over her.

"It's over, Cream. You're on your own," Tails said.

"Tikal's dead. Amy's subdued and Shadow is on our side. Just surrender and we can figure everything out later," Knuckles tried to reason with her. Cream's eyes flicked from the two boys above her to her friend, Amy, struggling against Shadow's iron grip. She knew it was useless. She knew she had lost. Her friends had betrayed her and her home below was about to be ravaged by her leaders' deadly gas. There was nowhere left for her.

"Tails?" Cream asked, looking up to match his stare.

"Cream?"

"Did you… ever love me?" Cream asked in a moment of vulnerability, tears shimmering in her eyes. It was the first human thing Tails had seen her do since he left her at the part months ago.

"Cream… yes… yes I did," Tails admitted.

"That's all I ever wanted," Cream smiled. Then, before anybody could stop her, she turned the blade on herself and plunged it deep into her heart. Tails and Knuckles let out a scream and lunged to stop her but it was too late. She was too precise. Cream's death was quick and painless. Less than a few seconds past before all the life had drained from the once shy girl turned trained assassin.

"Cream…" Tails sighed.

"C'mon Tails, leave her. We can mourn later," Knuckles placed a comforting hand on his shoulder as they turned to reunite with the others.

"Give up, Shard. It's over," Sonic announced, clutching his side as he stood beside Tails, Knuckles and Blaze while Shadow continued to bind Amy.

"I knew I should have just killed you when we found you in the desert," Shard growled.

"Sorry to disappoint you," Sonic countered back.

"All this planning," Shard grunted, mumbling angrily. "Everything I did… Everything I saw for our future, ruined by stupid teenagers."

"I-"

"Sonic, don't," Tails interrupted Sonic. Something didn't seem right. Something seemed off. Shard had lost, they had him outnumbered and he had nowhere to run. But why was he smiling? That's when Tails understood. "You tricked us."

"Doesn't feel good when somebody uses your own trick against you, does it?" Shard smirked.

"Tails? What's he on about?" Knuckles and Blaze asked.

"He was stalling us. This whole time. Shadow, Amy, Cream… he didn't actually think they'd stop us. He just wanted them to slow us down."

"We were just pawns?" Shadow asked, the fog of confusion only growing thicker as it strangled his brain.

"You played your part wonderfully," Shard gloated as he noticed out of the corner of his eye that everything was ready and he gave the voice command. "Initiate the flood!" Suddenly, much to their horror, the thousands of buzzing drones shot off into the distances, heading for Vapos, Zuncon and the sparse environment of Mobius between the two. Some zoomed ahead at unbelievable speeds while others slowed and released their canisters.

Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Blaze and Shadow watched helplessly as green gas poured from the metallic drones and drowned the land below in a deadly blanket of smog.

"Let the flood begin!" Shard announced victoriously as civilians and citizens below looked up to see the gas descend down from above, enter their lungs and choke them all to death.

* * *

 _A/N: And with that we've past our penultimate chapter and all that's left is the big conclusion to this two-story tale. Vector's dead. Razor's dead. Tikal's dead. Cream's dead. Amy's incapacitated and, for now, Shadow's neutral. After so much death and destruction, starting back with the sad death of Silver, the war that was started because of the love between two boys is finally about to be stopped by the same two people. Shard has been captured, but they couldn't stop him. With gas pouring over the land and people in their thousands choking and dying below, can Sonic and Tails find a way to stop 'the flood' or will the six of them on the ship be the only survivors for a new Mobius? Find out in the final chapter - The Final Stand._

 _Thanks for sticking with me through almost 48 chapters of this tale. I hope you've enjoyed it and please, don't forget to leave a review and let me know what you think. I'd love to hear how you think this is all going to end or what you're hoping will happen before the conclusion is done. I'm hoping to get it done by the end of the month but I have no time these days to write and I still have to finish the new SH:EL and Outlast chapters first. Either way, thanks for reading and, one last time, I'll see you next time._


	24. Chapter 24: The Final Stand

_A/N: Hey everybody, this is it. The final chapter. I'm so glad you all shared this 2+ year journey with me and I hope this conclusion is both satisfying and entertaining. Please enjoy the final chapter of the Sontails story._

* * *

Chapter 24

The Final Stand

If life was a fairy tale and somebody was writing it with quill and ink, it would probably start like this: Once upon a time there were two boys called Sonic and Tails. They lived together in a small town at the southern tip of a Mobian continent. However, life isn't a fairy tale, but instead a horror story with evil demons and killers. So rather, if that same person were to write a story about life again, it would probably start like this instead…

Evil has a name; Shard Metal.

Shard was born to a deadbeat dad and a mother who died in childbirth. His father turned to alcohol and in a blind fury one night tried to kill his own son, blaming him for the death of his wife. Shard was taken to a foster home and lost in the system, jumping from family to family. All he wanted was love, but destiny had other plans for him.

Just a street rat that society dumped, Shard crawled up from the gutter and worked his hardest. He worked multiple jobs to make enough money to get himself an education and climbed his way up through the political ranks until, after thirty years of turmoil, he stood atop the tallest tower with all of Macton following his every order.

Shard wanted revenge on those who cast him out, but in doing so he found something he didn't think he'd ever find. Love. Surprisingly, he was a great leader who ushered forth a new wave of prosperity for Macton as infrastructure and industrialization thrived while crime was on the decline. The whole community loved him. He found he couldn't destroy them, but he had been brought up with revenge fueling him. He craved destruction. Then one day, word came about a cat named Big and through fortunate circumstances Shard found himself a kindred spirit. One who's anger couldn't be satiated, and together they planned. This man was Vector Crocodile.

However, this tale has two parts. In every story, there is good and evil, and if evil had a name, so did good; Sonic and Tails.

Two boys who grew up in the wrong time. When they were just sixteen and fifteen years old respectively they discovered love. A love that was forbidden. Mobius had always been ruled by the clergy whether people admitted it or not. Their religion, Mobianity, was ingrained into the inhabitants' very being, and the being of their children too. Chaos was a mighty ruler, but he was merciless in his vision. His vision of a pure love, between a man and a woman. Those who went against this vision were labeled as Iblis worshipers and condemned to death.

Sonic and Tails lived in constant fear and secrecy with the knowledge that if their terrible secret got out, they would surely be doomed. Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened on Tails' sixteenth birthday when Tikal found a secret diary that Tails had given Sonic as a Christmas present detailing everything that had happened to them. From the confession and first kiss in the blueberry bushes, to Sonic admitting his feelings in the freezing cold outside Tails' window and through everything until they first made love.

Their family and friends turned against them, chased them down and captured Sonic, but not before Tails escaped. He stumbled into Aves and found companionship in the Babylon Rogues. With their help, he snuck back into town and broke the spell Big had cast on Sonic through his brain-numbing serum. Big was killed, but not before he slaughtered two of the three Rouges. Infuriated, Wave vowed vengeance. Though, before she could return with her army, Sonic and Tails escaped to a tropical island thanks to the help of their friends Knuckles, Blaze and Silver, who sacrificed himself for the greater good.

Months later, Tikal washed up on shore to inform them of the war that had been waging between Aves and Mobius. Guilt ridden, they returned to Mobius. After separation, they made friends with the leaders of Vapos and Zuncon but lost much when Macton destroyed both their armies. After much turmoil, Sonic and Tails finally united and marched into Vector's castle to finally end the war and stop him from spreading the now gaseous serum into the atmosphere.

As in all stories, good and evil must always do battle, where only one emerges victorious. This is no different. Life is but a series of stories, with billions of characters; a mixture of both good and evil. This is but one of those many stories. One where good and evil will clash. This is the story of Sonic and Tails, and Shard, and this is how it ends…

…

"Let the flood begin!" Shard announced victoriously as civilians and citizens bellow looked up to see the gas descend down from above, enter their lungs and choke them all to death.

"Quick, we have to re-route the drones," Tails called frantically as he leapt into action. He rushed up to the control panel and studied the buttons. Shard refused to surrender, lunging at Tails. The two fought, wrestling for control of the central panel of the mothership.

"Leave him alone," Knuckles growled as he reeled backwards and sent a mighty punch into the back of Shard's head. The world around Shard began to spin as black dots filled his vision and he crumpled to the floor, unconscious. "Glad that's finally done," Knuckles clapped the dust from his hands as he, Sonic and Blaze wandered over to crowd around Tails, shouting suggestions.

"You need to cut off the gas supply," Sonic urged.

"No, take control of their flight paths and send them all out to sea," Blaze decided.

"Just make them crash," Knuckles gawked.

"I can't take all this," Tails pulled at his messy hair. "I need all of you to be quiet!" Tails concentrated, biting his tongue as his eye flicked over all the levers and buttons, trying everything he could think of. Alas, it was no use. Shard had encrypted a security system that had completely shut Tails out of the controls. There was nothing he could do.

"I'm sorry," Tails moaned. "I can't do it… I'm locked out."

"Surely we can do something?" Blaze thought.

"I refuse to give up. We've come so far," Knuckles growled. Sonic stood there, wracking his brain for any solution when he heard a faint coughing from beside him. Sonic turned his head when he saw Vector look up. He wasn't dead.

"Dad?" Sonic asked as he slid across the floor over to his father, blood spurting from his mouth.

"S-Sonic?" Vector asked through the confusion that muddled his thoughts and clouded his vision. "He did something to me… I don't… I don't have long."

"Dad I… how can I help you?" Sonic asked. He reached out his hand but Vector grunted over the pain to swat it away.

"Don't touch me," Vector growled. "Look at you. How did you turn out this way? Weak to the very end…"

"What you call weak, I call compassion," Sonic muttered. Vector was about to say more when his eyes caught sight of the blood-soaked bandages that wound themselves around Sonic's waist.

"What happened? Shadow get you?"

"He wishes," Sonic cracked darkly. "It was mum. She tried to kill me."

"I always did love that woman," Vector smirked darkly as he let out more violent coughs. Crimson liquid stained the clean metal beneath them.

"Whatever," Sonic turned, ignoring his dying father. Sonic couldn't take anymore abuse. He turned to rise when Vector called out again.

"Wait, son…"

"You… you called me son?" Sonic stopped, almost wishing that his dad cared for him despite everything that had occurred between the two.

"Yes… you are my son. A horrible, good for nothing excuse for a son," Vector added darkly. "If I had it my way, you'd have died long ago, but you're there with your friends and I'm lying here dying so I guess I have no choice. No matter how you feel about me, or our community, you're our only hope now."

"Dad?"

"Stop Shard. Don't let him spread the serum. You need to… stop him," Vector coughed again.

"How? We've tried everything but Tails has been locked out of the system," Sonic asked, almost pleadingly.

"Chaos… it's the override code that Shard and I agreed on incase something happened to the other. Type it in to the main console and it'll reset all the controls."

"Thanks, dad."

"Don't thank me. Thank Chaos, maybe in his infinite wisdom he can find a way to forgive you, even if your soul has been consumed by Iblis."

"No, dad, mine hasn't. Yours has," Sonic said. "All I did was find love, but you started a war. You acted like a dictator and killed hundreds, if not thousands of people. No matter what you think of me, you're worse. You will spend all of damnation with Iblis in hell."

"Well… I guess I'll see you there," Vector smirked with his final words as his arms gave out and his head fell with a thud to the floor, life fleeing his body like smoke.

"Sonic, are you alright?" Blaze asked finally, not wanting to interrupt his talk with his father.

"He still couldn't accept me, even in death," Sonic noted bitterly. "But never mind that… Tails, type in _Chaos._ It's the master code that should give you access to the controls." Tails was quick to action, frantically typing in the code. However, instead of granting him access, the small screen just flashed red before everything seized and an extra firewall protection was put in place.

"It didn't work?" Knuckles asked.

"It made everything worse," Tails sighed, defeated.

"But… But Vector said-"

"You really think I'd give that idiot access to my beautiful ship?" A voice propped chillingly from behind. The four span around to look at Shard, sitting on the floor with a hand to his temple. "That was quite the bump you gave me."

"I'll give you another one if you aren't careful," Knuckles warned, flexing his muscles.

"I don't doubt it, idiotic brute," Shard hissed.

"That's it," Knuckles rolled up his sleeve, but Sonic placed an arm in front of him.

"Knuckles, don't," Sonic shook his head.

"Listen to him, Knuckles. He knows you need me. If you want to stop the drones from infecting the entire planet, you need my help and I can't do that if you knock me out, or kill me, again," Shard smirked. He knew he held all the cards.

"Why are you doing this?" Shadow asked from behind, watching the whole ordeal unfold as he stood beside the still thrashing pink hedgehog.

"Revenge."

"I know the feeling, but this isn't the way to go about it."

"Don't lecture me, Shadow. Just because their silly words gave you a heart doesn't mean you're not weak, just like Vector was and your entire, sniveling community. There's only one good thing for people like you. To be slaves, on your knees bending to the whim of the mighty Mactons," Shard spouted angrily.

"What did we ever do to you? You can't be mad about what Large did. That was over a century ago."

"True, but your community forced mine into a tiny sliver of land encased by desert. We couldn't thrive. While you took the coast and the vast expanse of forest, we were stuck with nothing. We struggled, and so did our people. So did my father and my mother, to the point where it made them… him insane. My own father tried to kill me, but you perfect little Mobians wouldn't know a thing about that, would you? You wouldn't know a thing about real pain."

"You're wrong," Sonic interjected. "My own father tried to kill me, too. This whole war was started because my father wanted to kill me. I know your pain, Shard. I understand what it's like having everybody hate you. But this isn't the way to go about it," Sonic turned and held out his arm. Tails slipped his palm into Sonic's, their fingers entwining together as they smiled at each other.

"You decided to take the pain and sadness and turn it into hatred, anger, vengeance. But it doesn't have to be that way. You could turn it into something more powerful. Something that I found. All those nights my father beat me, I didn't plot revenge. I just hung out with the one I loved. My best friend. Tails."

"Join us, Shard," Tails added with a sincere smile. "Stop the ships, choose love and together we can usher in a new age of peace. We can unite the communities and let everybody prosper. What do you say?" Tails asked, holding out his free hand to Shard, extending an offer of peace, love and acceptance.

Shard's glossy eyes looked from his own hand to Tails'. His whole childhood, nobody had ever shown him this kindness. His friends, his family… nobody. He had to earn his adoration.

"No," Shard swatted Tails hand away. "I don't need any of that. I've won. No matter what happens to me, my community will step forth from the rubble victorious. The land is ours. You just want me to surrender so that you can force us back into the desert."

"We won't do that."

"You're too late. It's over. I've won. Now do your worst," Shard closed his eyes, held out his arms and tilted his head back, ready and expecting death as the sweet sounds of green gas spreading from his drones filled the air. He didn't care if he died. Macton had won. His people would live, survive and thrive.

"Hang on…" Tails whispered as he looked outside, watching all the drones change course.

"Tails, Tails whatever you're doing, keep it up," Sonic cheered, his eyes growing with happiness. Confused, Shard peeked open one eye and felt a wave of shock and frustration wash over him as he looked on helplessly. All of a sudden, all the drones shut off their supply, turned directions and as a swarm of metallic birds they flew out to sea.

"My precious drones," Shard moaned as the group on the bridge watched the drones collide with the rough waves of the ocean.

"Nice work, Tails," Knuckles clapped him over the back.

"How'd you do it?" Blaze asked, amazed.

"I… I didn't do anything," Tails said bewildered. "I was locked out. All the drones just… they just stopped. Before anybody could say anything more, a blue light flashed overtop of the glass windshield.

"What's that?"

"It's an incoming call," Shard growled. "Probably Zespio. Answer call," Shard bellowed loudly as his voice recognition program registered his words and a blue-tinged projection filled the glass. However, it wasn't Zespio. It was Abyss.

"Hey Sonic, long time no see," Abyss smiled as she met his gaze.

"Abyss… why are you calling Shard?" Sonic asked.

"What happened to my beautiful drones?"

"Funny story, would you like to tell him, or should I?" Abyss asked as she glanced at an invisible person just off screen.

"I'll do the honors," a familiar voice chimed as they stepped on screen and their figure was illuminated. It was Cosmo. "Tails, Knuckles and Blaze. Nice to see you again. I'm glad you've found Sonic."

"Cosmo! What are you doing with Abyss?" Tails asked in delight.

"Funny story. You see, Abyss contacted me after we were made aware about Macton's interference in our war and she invited me to Vapos to devise a truce. Vapos was already graciously hosting some of the Avian army after Mobius had captured their capital and chased the remaining troops west," Cosmo began, never taking her eyes off Shard. "Would you believe our surprise when, yesterday, Fiona came barging into Vapos for help."

"F-Fiona?" Shadow asked, his voice filled with guilt.

"Oh, I'm getting an incoming call. Let's have them join us, shall we?" Abyss said triumphantly as the blue screen split into two and Fiona's face appeared on the left, beside Cosmo and Abyss.

"Hey, your intel was correct," Fiona smiled. "While you held off Mobius I took my troops to Macton and the city was completely empty."

"You'll never find my people," Shard hissed.

"Too late," Fiona winked. "We discovered their hiding bunker. They were all just sitting ducks waiting to be conquered. After threatening them, their lead scientists graciously helped give us access to the drones' controls and we thought sending them out to sea was the best course of action."

"Fiona you beautiful genius," Tails cheered. Fiona gave him a curtsy when her eyes noticed Shadow and soured instantly.

"What's he doing here?"

"We'll deal with him later," Sonic ignored her. "We just need to know, is everything settled? Are we safe?"

"Perfectly. Macton has surrendered," Fiona informed.

"The Mobians ran off to hide in the forest somewhere but we will soon get them," Abyss informed.

"And the drones are all safely decommissioned in the ocean," Cosmo added.

"Well, would you look at that," Sonic said with the biggest smirk he could muster, flaunting his victory in Shard's face. "Looks like all communities managed to come together. You're little plan to turn us all against each other to let Macton rule didn't go according to plan, did it?"

"You think this is over?" Shard barked.

"What are you gonna do, pipsqueak?" Knuckles dared him.

"You've stopped my drones and captured my city, but I'm not done."

"Last I checked there were five of us and only one of you," Blaze said.

"Computer!" Shard shouted, ignoring their taunts. "Activate the Doomsday Protocol!"

" _Affirmative. Doomsday Protocol activated. Big Bomb will drop in T-minus five minutes,"_ a mechanical voice responded as a red light mounted on the ceiling began flashing as sirens blared.

"What did you do?" Sonic asked.

"I already told you I wasn't afraid to die!"

"What did you do?!"

"You guys didn't think you stopped all the drones, did you?" Amy laughed manically from behind Shadow. "There's still one mor-" Amy was cut off as Shadow stuck a sock in her mouth to gag her.

"What's she talking about, Shadow?" Tails asked.

"She's right. This is Shard's mother ship and it's still moving. It must be on a different network."

"You're all still idiots," Shard chuckled. "You think I wouldn't have a backup plan. I took the remainder of Big's serum and injected it into my big bomb. What do you think is in the heart of this ship? In less than five minutes my ship's belly will open and drop the bomb which will infect everything within a fifty-kilometer radius."

"That's half the continent. That'll destroy all of Mobius and half of Vapos, Aves and Zuncon," Blaze gasped.

"Precisely. And there's nothing you can do to stop it-" Knuckles interrupted him with another punch as Shard fell back to the floor, whining in pain.

"What do we do?"

"There might be a way to manually override the countdown sequence. I'll have to check it out," Tails thought, stroking his chin in thought.

 _"T-Minus four minutes until Big Bomb drop."_

"Less talk more action," Sonic sung out in panic as he raced down the stairs in search of the room where the bomb was held. Tails ran closely behind him, with Blaze and Knuckles on his heels when Blaze turned around to stop Knuckles.

"Blaze, what are you doing? There's no time to waste."

"I'll go help them. You should stay here."

"I want to help."

"From here on out it's all about wits and, no offence, but your all about strength. Stay here and guard the others. I still don't trust Shadow," Blaze insisted.

"Alright," Knuckles yielded eventually. "But be careful."

"Always do," Blaze smiled as she placed a quick kiss on his lips before she slipped down the thin maintenance corridor that Sonic and Tails had already disappeared down.

"Alright, so what…" Knuckles trailed off when he walked back up and saw no sign of Shard. "Where'd he go?"

"I tried to stop him but Amy tried to make an escape too. I could only stop one," Shadow admitted as he pinned Amy to the floor. "Shard escaped…"

…

Shard seized his moment. He saw the commotion his tactic had created and knew this was his one chance of escape. His one chance to retreat and recoup. If he could just get away, he could come back even stronger and fiercer than ever. He waited until Knuckles chased Blaze to the small corridor before he made his move.

Amy muffled something when she noticed Shard crawling away from Shadow. Her eyes bulged and she wriggled in her ropes but Shadow had binded her too tight.

"What is wrong now?" Shadow groaned as he took the sock out of her mouth.

"Shard's escaping!" Amy called. Shadow flitted his gaze across the room to see Shard slipping down the metal staircase and over to the main exit of the ship. He turned to give chase but as his attention was diverted Amy seized her own moment and tripped him. As he crumpled to the ground she fell to the floor and rolled over to where Cream's knife was littered on the ground, still covered in crimson blood.

However, she wasn't fast enough. She barely got her trapped fingers around the hilt when Shadow pounced on her and beat her away, throwing the knife across the room for good measure.

"Nice try."

"You might have stopped me but Shard escaped," Amy taunted. "Just you wait. He'll be back to save me, then he'll kill you. Then he'll kill you all," Amy laughed with a crazed glint in her eye. "Then he'll-"

"Shove a sock in it," Shadow interrupted her, stuffing the gag back into her mouth just as Knuckles returned to see what all the commotion was about.

Meanwhile, Shard slipped out of the entrance. He grabbed a rope, clipped it to the ship and abseiled downwards through the open air until he gracefully landed safely on the ground. The ship, several meters high, continued to soar over him and off into the distance following the preprogrammed path. They would have to figure out how to stop the bomb before they dared follow him.

…The bomb. Shard muttered a curse under his breath. He had less than three minutes before his mind would be ripped apart by the gas. He thought quickly, then remembered the drone. The last, decommissioned drone. The one Sonic had stolen from his warehouse that fateful night. The same drone Amy had used to escape the great Vaposian colosseum. And the same drone she had dropped off in the field beside the castle.

Shard made haste, barely making it to the castle before the bomb was set to detonate. He knew he had mere seconds. He quickly flipped open the hatch, dived inside and booted up the mechanics. Flying one of his drones was second nature to the smart hedgehog and before he knew it he was up in the air. Shard turned the nose towards the open ocean and set off, hoping to find land to recuperate on before he could plan his revenge.

However, Shard had made one fatal miscalculation. Fuel. The drone was completely depleted. Red warning lights flashed over as Shard desperately tried to maneuver the drone back around to the Mobian coast but he was too late. The engine cut off, the lights died and the drone began a nosedive into the dark blue, unforgiving ocean below him. In a last-ditch effort, Shard abandoned ship and plunged into the murky depths. He swam to the surface, spluttering out the water as he floundered above the cresting waves.

At least he was safe… or at least he thought he was.

"What was that?" Shard asked aloud, fear dripping off his words. Something had touched his leg. He didn't imagine it. He tired to swim towards the shoreline but it was too far away. Suddenly, a dark shadow swam beneath him. It was massive, the shadow of a long serpent.

"Oh no…" Shard said aloud as the water opened up and the head of a frightening sea creature broke the surface, showering Shard and the ocean in a salty spray. The Leviathan towered above him, a hungry glint in its eyes. Before Shard could do anything, it opened its mouth and plunged back into the water. Shard took in his last glimpse of depleting sunlight as teeth closed around him and he was swallowed up by the Leviathan as it submerged back into the deep darkness of the ever-expanding ocean.

…

Sonic crept down the tight maintenance corridor until he found a small door that lead into the central domed space below the bridge of Shard's mothership. The room was larger than he thought, hosting a small grated walkway that etched around the central spherical chamber that held the gas. It was rigged to clamps that were set to drop when the timer ended. The floor below them had already opened up and the grassy fields and expansive forests of Mobius rushed below them. The town, their home, was less than a kilometer to their east. It would surely be decimated by the bomb.

"Sonic, what are you doing?" Tails bellowed over the wind whipping through the dome. "It's too dangerous, get back here." Tails clung to the railing as he inched his way forward.

"We've got to find a way to shut this off," Sonic called back defiantly as he raced over to a small control panel that seemed to be connected to the container that housed the bomb and the deadly green gas. Sonic studied it but couldn't understand any of it.

 _T-Minus three minutes until big bomb drop_

Tails sighed, threw caution to the wind and made his way over to the panel. It took him a few moments to figure out what it all meant and an ugly, horrible truth washed over him. It was unfair. After everything they'd done, after all they'd been through together. It didn't feel real.

"What's the hold up?" Blaze yelled as she balanced her way over to the two boys, afraid to look below her.

"Tails, can we stop the bomb?" Sonic asked.

"We can…"

"But…" Sonic knew there was a catch based on the horrified look etched onto Tails' face. All the colour had drained from his features and the gears of his brain were spinning frantically to find an escape.

"I can stop the bomb from dropping, but I can't contain the gas. It's too unstable in the device," Tails tried to explain.

"We don't have time for riddles," Blaze snapped. "Just turn it off."

"That's the thing. I can stop the bomb from dropping, but it can only be done if we vent the gas out."

"So just do that."

"You don't understand. If we just vent it below it will be just as deadly as if we had let the bomb drop in the first place," Tails fretted. "To stop the countdown, I'll need to vent it out of the bomb but not into the atmosphere."

"Then lets just close the doors and vent it in this room," Sonic called impatiently as he pressed the big button on the screen and the bottom half of the ship's spherical belly began to slide shut.

 _T-Minus two minutes until big bomb drop_

"Done," Sonic smiled, finally able to talk normally. "Now let's get back to the bridge and vent the gas before the bomb blows us all up." Blaze and Sonic began to race more confidently back to the entrance now that the fear of falling wasn't prevalent anymore but Tails stood steadfast.

"Tails, c'mon," Blaze urged.

"We can't."

"What do you mean? We need to go," Blaze repeated.

"We can only vent the gas from one place. We can only vent it manually from here," Tails finally admitted. Sonic and Blaze both froze, their muscles rigid as the unfair realization washed over them.

"You mean…" Sonic couldn't even finish his thought.

"One of us needs to stay behind and vent the gas. One of us needs to sacrifice their life to save everybody on the ship and everybody in Mobius below."

"I'll do it."

"Sonic, don't!"

"I said I'll do it," Sonic growled forcefully as he grabbed Tails and spun around him, pushing him towards Blaze.

"Sonic, you can't-"

"Don't argue. We haven't got the time," Sonic spat. "One of us needs to do this and Chaos knows this war is my fault."

"No it isn't," Tails urged, tears brimming in his eyes as his heart beat faster and faster.

"It was because of me that Big invented the serum in the first place. It was my father that turned it into a gas and started this war. I started this war, and now, I'm going to finish it."

"Sonic, you can't!" Tails bellowed through tears as they burst from his eyes and cascaded down his cheeks like unrelenting waterfalls. Tails rushed over and wrapped his arms tightly around Sonic, squeezing him with tremendous force, afraid because he knew if he were to let go he'd never be able to hold Sonic again.

 _T-Minus one minute until big bomb drop_

"Blaze, take him and get out of here. We don't have time to argue," Sonic pushed Tails backwards and into Blaze. She locked eyes with him, tears shimmering in her own amber pools. She opened her mouth to argue but when she saw Sonic's stoic look she knew there was no changing his mind.

"Thanks for everything, Sonic. You're an amazing friend," Blaze forced a fake smile as she seized Tails and hauled him over to the door. Sonic nodded before he managed to force himself to turn away from Blaze and Tails, who was still thrashing against her iron grip. Finally, Tails gave up when Blaze managed to pull him to the door and she relinquished him.

"I know it's hard, but we need to go or we're all dead," Blaze urged.

"I know," Tails said tonelessly as his eyes flitted to the side wall for a second. "Blaze, you're my best friend. I don't think Sonic or I would be alive right now if it wasn't for you. If you hadn't kept our secret back at that sleepover, things would have turned out a lot differently. I owe you my life, and this is my way of repaying you." Before Blaze could say anything, Tails pushed her. As she stumbled backwards Tails pulled a lever beside the door and the hatch clamped shut. Tails quickly locked the door from the inside before Blaze could open it again.

"Tails!" Blaze called helplessly. "Tails, please, what are you doing."

"I'm sorry," Tails said as he looked her in the eyes through the small rectangle of glass that separated the two. "Thank you for everything."

"Tails! Tails, come back," Blaze beat her fist against the glass as he turned and hurried over to Sonic, who stood in shock at the main command.

"Tails, what are you doing? You can't stay here, you'll die!" Sonic commanded.

"I can't let you kill yourself, Sonic. Life without you in it is worse than death," Tails replied with tears still staining his skin.

"No. Tails, no, I can't allow it," Sonic defied him.

 _T-Minus thirty seconds until big bomb drop_

"It looks like you don't have a choice. We either do this together, or we kill everybody."

"Tails… I'm trying to save you."

"And I'm saving you, too. Now shut up and kiss me, you stubborn idiot," Tails laughed facetiously as he crashed his chapped lips against Sonic's.

"But Tails, you could've had your whole life ahead of you. You only get one life."

"I only get one you," Tails replied. "Besides, we all have to die eventually. And since we only die once, I want to die with you."

"You made my life complete, Tails. I love you."

"I love you too, Sonic," Tails smiled. "Now, let's do this." Sonic nodded as he hovered his palm over the button that would vent the gas into the room they stood in. Tails returned his nod, placing his own palm on top of Sonic's, their fingers entwining as they pressed the button together.

A loud hiss filled the room, echoing off the mechanical walls as the gas burst from the bomb like water from a cracked dam and filled the room. Sonic turned and wrapped his arms around Tails. They both knew this was it, but they had both accepted it. It wasn't just Sonic that started this war. They both did, and this was their way to repent for all the death that their actions had caused. If they were going to die, they were going to do it on their terms. Not by Big, not by Vector, not by Shadow or Amy and certainly not by Shard. This was the story of Sonic and Tails, and this was how it was going to end.

Sonic and Tails held each other close as the gaseous serum swirled around them, filling their mouth. They clung to each other, shut their eyes tightly and pressed their lips together one final time as they were engulfed by the toxic smog.

* * *

 _A/N: And that's it. That's all she wrote..._

 _But it isn't! Okay, I lied. I know I said this was the last chapter but I can't leave it like that. There is one final, short epilogue to conclude the story. There are still a few loose ends that need to be wrapped up before I finally leave this story. However, before you leave a review telling me how much you all hate me for killing off Sonic and Tails (I saw all the reviews begging me not to), just wait until the epilogue is released before I get crucified._

 _Anyway, while you're here I just wanted to ask you a question. What did you think? Please leave me a review to let me know what you thought about this story. Was it better than the first? Did you like it? Did you hate the direction I took the sequel? (I know some hated the change from romance to an action-adventure). What did you think of the ending? A few months after I finished the first story I decided I wanted to make a sequel. i wasn't ready to leave the world I created, especially when I set up the war and the five communities and did nothing with them. I knew there was a story left to tell somewhere. Amy loosing her mind. Shadow going crazy with vengeance. The whole world at war. Tikal's somewhat tragic story of betrayal. And poor Sonic and Tails... I had planned this end right from the start. I planned this whole story before I began writing the first chapter. It was always going to happen like that and it was always going to end like this... except, it isn't the end, is it? Could they still be alive? Could something happen to save them? Just wait to find out in the epilogue to bookend this 48 chapter story. Until then, I hope you have a fantastic day and thanks for reading. I love you all!_


	25. Epilogue

Epilogue

 _It was amazing. I couldn't believe my luck. I had given up hope. I had given into the fact that my two best friends had killed themselves to save not only me, but all of Mobius. But luck was on my side. Sonic turned to me, the cockiest smirk on his stupid face. He scooped up Tails in his arms and sprinted as fast as he could over to the door and flipped the lever._

 _The hatch flew open and the two toppled out, coughing for fresh, non-contaminated air. I acted off instinct as I slammed my hand into the controls to seal the room again before too much of the noxious gas could seep out into the ship._

 _"Thanks," Sonic laughed through his coughs. "I didn't think that would work, but I'm glad it did."_

 _"You mean you didn't actually have a plan?" Tails asked in disbelief._

 _"I wasn't going to go out without a fight."_

 _"You're such an idiot," Tails laughed. Sonic laughed, and I laughed with him. The three of us burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter as we lay in the small maintenance corridor just staring at each other. We couldn't believe our luck. We'd beaten Shard, stopped his bomb and all gotten out of it alright. It was still the four amigos. Sonic, Tails, Blaze and Knuckles. We all stopped the war, and we all survived._

 _We strode with vigor back to the bridge where Knuckles greeted me with a victorious hug and a hearty laugh. We took control of the ship and decided we wanted to go back to where we were the happiest. We set a course for our tropical island, where we lived out the rest of the days in peace._

 _At least… that's how I wish it happened. But it didn't happen that way. The room was completely sealed. There was no way out. Sonic and Tails died in that room._

Blaze's mind left her as she imagined fantastical ways to shield herself from the truth. But despite how hard her mind tried to trick her, her eyes couldn't look away from the unbearable truth. She watched in helpless horror as green gas engulfed her two best friends, Sonic and Tails, and she watched in horror as they both collapsed to the floor and died in each other's embrace.

Nothing could stave off her tears that night. Not even Knuckles strong embrace as she fell into him when she returned to the bridge. He didn't say anything. He didn't even cry. It was as if he couldn't. All Knuckles did was hug Blaze, hoping that if they hoped hard enough Sonic and Tails would come back to life.

Not even Shadow said anything. This was all he ever wanted; the death of his bitter rivals. Sonic and Tails, the two boys that ruined his life. But somehow he felt hollow. Their death's helped nothing, he only felt more empty than ever. Even… sad.

Blaze, Knuckles, Shadow and Amy, still bound by ropes with a sock stuck in her mouth, all sat and watched the moon rise into the starry sky without a word as they silently sent prayers for their saviors - Sonic and Tails

 _One Year Later…_

Fireworks exploded above through the dark, night sky as fiery blooms amongst the stars shooting vivid contrasts of colours. Every bang enticed a coo of awe and applause from the wonderous crowds below and every spark bore fantastical curves and brilliant lines that traced across the sky.

Shadow watched emotionlessly through the vertical strips of iron that barred the window of his prison cell. He tried to ignore the fanatical, maniacal shrieks and crazed monologues from Amy in the cell adjacent to his and focused his hollow eyes on the brilliance streaking the night. Shadow wished he could be out there with the crowd, waiting in masses for the president's speech in the cold night air. He rested his chin on his palm and let out a long, shallow sigh as he closed his eyes and let the thunderous applause lull him off to sleep, imagining what life could have been like if he hadn't chosen the darker path he found himself drawn to in that fateful year.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the new city still under construction, a mass of people crowded together like sardines underneath the shadow of the giant tower in the center of the city. Canvas tarps covered a framework of metal constructs that were set up to help builders traverse around the currently under construction center of the new capital city. The grand tower, set to finish by years' end, was the hallmark of New Mobius and would act as the parliamentary building of the NMA – New Mobius Alliance – that saw the unification of Mobius, Macton, Vapos, Aves and Zuncon.

The anniversary of the end of the second great war had started in the early hours of the evening and stretched late into the night. The citizens had decorated the streets in all the colours of the rainbow as small stands were set up to sell specific delicacies of the five nations that inhabited the new city.

A young Mobian porcupine roamed the streets, ignoring his mother's cautious calls for him to be careful as the crowds grew bigger and bigger as the sun began to dip below the horizon. Spike was just ten years old when the canisters began deploying the gas. His mother had rushed him inside when the first particles began to settle on the city, but his father set out to rescue his sister, Sonar, from school. His father and Sonar didn't return that night. Despite the bomb being thwarted, the thousands of drones still did their damage that day. Just like how Spike lost a father and a sister that day, countless other people lost loved-ones across four of the five nations that fateful day, and thousands of others were slaughtered during the three months of the great war.

However, seeing the festival filled the young boy with hope. Spike was drawn to an amphibian stall where a friendly shark-woman handed him a jelly jellyfish. As he chomped down the delectable treat, the alluring whistles of tree-cats' wind instruments filled his ears and he danced with a young bird-girl like his limbs were made of spaghetti while his mother chatted with a handsome looking cyborg hedgehog. It was truly the culmination of cultures, and Spike absolutely loved it. It wasn't until the first firework plumed upwards into the starry sky and exploded in a fiery flurry of lights did Spike's mother seize his hand and take him to the central square, dodging between two teenagers – a red echidna and a violet cat – where they stopped and watched in awe.

Finally, after the last firework fizzled out and a hush crept across the crowd did the newly elected president of New Mobius, and leader of the NMA, make her appearance known. She stepped through the archway of the finished first floor of the silvery, half-constructed tower and gaze upon the people. Her people. She was joined shortly by her two vice-presidents. All three were elected when the five nations came together and decided to become one, with one governmental body. Abyss the Squid, former second in command of Vapos, was the first vice-president elected. Fiona Fox, general of Wave's Avian army was the second. And Cosmo, the president, elected almost unanimously by not only the Zuncon voters, but voters of all five communities, stood in the center of the other two women and waved to her people. She had led the cleanup after the drones had been stopped and was the primary force that helped reunite the five communities.

"Hello people of New Mobius," Cosmo began, speaking confidently into the microphone. "I can't believe it's been one year since Shard and Vector's horrible attempted genocide. Luckily, they failed and a new era of peace has been heralded. I'm greatly humbled to stand here this night, the night marking exactly one year since the drones were stopped and the treaty was drawn up and signed and speak to you all. Whether you're a Mobian, a Vaposian, an Avian, A Zuncon or a Macton, it doesn't matter to us anymore. We only see each other as people of New Mobius." Thunderous applause echoed through the crowd as Cosmo glanced over the crowd, her eyes stopping on two teenagers, Knuckles and Blaze, who smiled back at her comfortingly.

"But I think it's time to reveal the whole story of those final days of the war. I could stand here and prattle on about the achievements we've managed to make since the treaty. I could talk about unification, infrastructure and plans for the future of our new city, but that isn't just what today is about. Today is about looking forward at the bright future for us and our children, but it's also to look back at the past. Specifically, of the hidden heroes that aided Fiona, Abyss, Wave, Razor and myself in taking down the tyranny of Shard and Vector."

"Mum, what's she talking about?" Spike asked as he tugged on his mother's hand-knitted pink sweater.

"Shhh, darling. Let Madame President speak," his mother hushed him as she looked up at the figure she admired.

"I'll start like how all good stories should… Once upon a time there were two boys named Sonic and Tails…" As the crowd listened to the two teenagers most had never heard of, their hearts simultaneously broke and beat for their forgotten heroes. Cosmo went to detail about Sonic and Tails' troubles in old Mobius, and their fight with Big. She mentioned their escape and eventual return to fix what they started. She told the crowds about all Tails did for her when her mother and sister died and how Sonic helped aid Vapos in their battle against Macton. It was then that she revealed the ultimate sacrifice both Sonic and Tails took in order to save half the country and grant the peace that all the people now enjoyed.

"Never again will we take for granted the peace that we've accomplished. And in recognition of New Mobius' two brave heroes, we've erected two statues of them!" Cosmo announced as she pointed to an area in the corner of the central square of the city where a tarp was removed and the two bronze statues of the hedgehog and the fox were revealed. The crowd clapped as they marveled at the interictally crafted and carved statues.

"Thankyou," Blaze mouthed as she glanced up at Cosmo standing above them. Cosmo nodded once before turning her attention back on the crowd and finished her first, proper presidential speech and concluded the celebrations of the anniversary.

 _Two More Years Later…_

The sun hung low in the salmon sky, casting shadows over the empty cemetery. A light drift of snow peppered the sky and a thin blanket of white draped the ground. Blaze and Knuckles skated down the icy path and through the twisted rows of gravestones until the stopped in front of two small tombstones.

 _Here lies Sonic and his devoted boyfriend Tails, saviors of New Mobius._

Blaze removed her scarf that clung tightly around her neck and took off one of her woolen mittens to reach inside her coat pocket. She pulled out a small, red rose and placed it on the gravesite of her two best friends. She reached out and felt Knuckles clasp his hand around hers, their fingers entwining as they shared their body heat. They both stared wordlessly at Sonic and Tails' grave, saying their silent prayers.

"Do you think they are looking down on us?" Blaze asked, finally breaking the silence.

"I don't doubt it for a second. I think they're watching over us and all of New Mobius with smiles on their faces," Knuckles confirmed.

"Do you think they're happy?"

"I think they're both very happy, and now they have each other for all eternity without having to hide or worry," Knuckles smiled.

"I hope so…" Blaze trailed off as she stared at the grave.

"And what about you, love? Have you heard any news from the doctor?" Knuckles asked as he softly placed his hand on Blaze's swollen belly. After Knuckles had turned twenty, the two decided to settle down in an apartment in New Mobius together. One thing led to another and the couple found out about the wonderful news a few months ago. Blaze was well into her second trimester. "How's our baby?"

"Babies," Blaze responded with a smile. Knuckles eyes grew wide as they flitted down to the bump. "Twin boys."

"Twin boys… wow, that's amazing," Knuckles smiled as he leant over and placed a gentle kiss on Blaze's plump, crimson covered lips. "Have you got any ideas of possible names?"

"I have one idea. Sonic and Tails…" Knuckles paused for a moment, their eyes interlocking as the painful, yet wonderful memories of their two best friends flashed through their minds.

"I think that's wonderful," Knuckles concluded finally as he draped his arm over Blaze's shoulders and pulled his new wife closer to his side. "Sonic and Tails… the future of New Mobius." The two smiled, hope for the future of their city, their country and their new children kindling inside both of them as they glanced up to the setting sun reflecting off the tallest silver tower of the finished city of New Mobius.

* * *

 _A/N: And that's it. It's finally over. Thank you all so much for reading both War of Faith and Dreams Come true. All your follows, favourites and reviews have meant so much to me through my whole writing process and it's brought joy to my heart every time you guys told me how much this story meant to you. From some people telling me that this is their favourite fic on this site to others saying how reading this helped them decide to come out of the closet, it's honestly been overwhelming in the best way. This was the first story I started on this site and it's been amazing to see how far I've come in just two short years. It's sad to see it go, but I'm glad to finally close this chapter and I'm looking forward to everything else I'm going to write in the future._

 _If you enjoyed this story please leave a review and let me know, and why not favourite the story while you're at it :P If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in a review or send me a PM and I'll make sure to respond. If I get enough, I might make an A/N like it did for the first one._

 _Finally, if you enjoyed my work and want to read more from me might i suggest checking out Sonic High and its sequel, Emerald Lake, Murder on Green Hill Island, Missing or my newest story, Outlast: Insanity Island. Thank you so much for reading and I hope to hear from you all soon. Have an amazing day_

 _-TwoTailedFox_


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